Clouds in the Sky
by TsubakiTwilight
Summary: Hibari Mitsuru is not stupid – he has the knowledge and memories of a man nearly thrice his age stuffed into his noggin. He knows exactly what world he's been reborn – pun not intended – into. He opens his eyes and is met with a face that has become his over the years. AU! SI!OC! Pairings undecided!
1. Chapter 1

**I.**

"Who are you?"

Rokudo Mukuro watches the man standing seemingly at ease in the middle of grime and blood-splattered room that makes up the once-pristine theater of Kokuyo Land.

At first glance, the man appears to be nothing more than one of the tens of thousands of Japanese clones populating the island nation and beyond.

Pale skin covering a tall and slim frame, a thin face with high cheek bones, dark hair styled short with part of his fringe just _barely_ obscuring an eye…

Ah.

 _That's_ what makes the man standing before him so unique from the innumerable amount of mindless sheep blundering their way through life: his eyes.

They aren't the typical light-brown color of a majority of Japanese men, nor are they the dark-brown – bordering on black – coloring of the other ethnicities of the world. No, this man's eyes are a brilliant gray: the color of starlight on a moonless night, the color of smoke lazily curling up from a fire, the color of brightly polished steel about to-

Oh.

Now Mukuro remembers.

The illusionist shifts his weight slightly and leans casually against his trident, a mocking grown slowly blossoming on his features.

"… I see, I thought you looked familiar. Are you here to rescue the little Skylark in my possession?"

The man tilts his head, his bangs following the movement and now completely hiding one of his eyes from view while the other – such a startling, silver color – returns Mukuro's stare evenly.

The corner of the man's lips quirk upwards, "But of course. What kind of older brother would I be if I left my poor, defenseless baby brother in the hands of someone like you?"

 **.**

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 **II.**

He had heard the whispers of rumors circulating the Underground World for the past few months now.

Hushed chatter about the Chinese Triads.

Secretive mutterings about two new additions to the already powerful and feared assassin group.

Guarded inquires about his own standing within the Triads hierarchy.

It was for that last reason that he had decided to return to the main compound of the Triads and ascertain the truth for himself, not because he feared having his position taken from him – no – it was quite the opposite, in fact. If there truly was someone capable of taking over him as the 'best' assassin of the Triads, he would be more than happy to turn that title over to him or her, only if they were truly worthy of said title though.

"Fon, you've arrived."

The World's Best Martial Artist and current Storm Arcobaleno turned at the sound of his name and peered upwards at one of the many elders of the Chinese Triads. "Elder Zhao, it's a pleasure to meet you once more," Fon said with a short bow.

"Enough with the pleasantries, Fon, the other Elders and I have an assignment for you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It is unfortunate but, one of our newest additions to the Triads has turned against us. The Elders want you to put an end to their actions. They are still penned in at the Second Compound… do not disappoint us, Fon."

"I shall endeavor not to, Elder Zhao," Fon intoned politely, bowing once more before blurring away in a flash of red.

 **.**

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 **III.**

The first thing that Fon notices – more like _feels_ – upon reaching the outer wall of the second compound, is the sheer amount of Cloud Flames utterly saturating the air and surrounding forest. In fact, there is so much Cloud Flames in the air that each breath the martial artist takes seems to be imbued with more oxygen than normal – certainly not an easy feat to accomplish.

The second thing that Fon notices upon scaling the compound walls is the veritable sea of bodies littering the open-air courtyard of the compound. Even from this distance, the Arcobaleno can easily tell that all of the unconscious persons lying below him belong to the Triads and that each and every one of them was taken down by the very same style of martial arts taught to the new initiates of the organization.

' _Although,'_ Fon thinks, eyes roaming over the ground below,' _judging from the size and coloration of the bruises… the attacker can't be much taller than myself and doesn't nearly have as much physical strength as an adult which means that whoever managed to defeat these members must be no older than eleven or twelve years of age…'_

"I wonder…," the martial artist muses, leaping off the outer wall of the compound and onto the nearest sloped rooftop decorating one of the few buildings in the area.

A scant few seconds later, sees the Storm Arcobaleno dropping into a room where the immensely powerful Cloud Flames seem to be emanating from.

"… Uncle Fon…?"

The soft, feminine whisper has Fon straightening from his crouch and turning to face a woman who could be described as a carbon-copy of himself – if he had been born a woman, that is.

The woman had long, dark-colored hair that was braided and swept over a shoulder – very much like his own – paired with pale skin and narrowed eyes a shade darker than the color of fog and framed with long, thick lashes which stares at him in a mixture of surprise and relief.

"I-It really is you, Uncle Fon…! How did you get here?"

"I walked," is Fon's honest reply.

The woman laughs lightly, the sound reverberating throughout the tiny room – which is really no bigger than a closet. "You're still as blunt as ever, Uncle Fon!"

Fon smiles briefly before sobering and saying, "Yanyu… let me see him."

Yanyu stiffens for a heartbeat, her entire countenance screaming defiance and protectiveness, before she nods tersely and moves to the side, gathering the length of her long robe into her arms as she does so and revealing the source of the Cloud Flames.

The child is young, and gently carrying a bundle of cloth that Fon realizes is actually another infant. The child is perhaps around seven or eight years old with the exact same coloring and features as his mother and the few others that made up their lineage and ancestry.

Black hair.

Pale skin.

Gray-colored eyes.

Even the wariness and cautious air about the child reminds Fon of a much younger and more innocent Yanyu.

Although… Fon studies the child closer for a moment. There seems to be a kind of… weight and knowledge hiding within that familiar colored gaze of the child… almost as if there was a significantly older person living within the child's skin.

It's like Fon is looking at a slightly older mirror-image of himself after the That Day…

The Arcobaleno smiles gently at the child and introduces himself. "Hello there, my name is Fon and I'm your uncle."

The child's eyes narrow a fraction and Fon can see the imaginary gears turning within the child's brain.

"… How old are you?" The child asks in perfect Chinese, after mulling over Fon's introduction for a minute.

"Far too old," Fon replies with a light chuckle.

The child tilts his head and his eyes and lips crinkle in a way that screams that the child understands exactly what the martial artist meant and isn't that a bit unnerving?: To see the shadows of a man far too old and jaded haunting the visage of a child far too young to be burdened with such a fate.

' _Perhaps I_ am _getting too old…'_ Fon thinks with a rueful shake of his head. _'To think that I'm projecting myself onto a mere child like this…'_

"… It's nice to meet you, Uncle Fon. I'm Mitsuru." Mitsuru inclines his head towards Fon, and after a momentary pause continues with, "and this is my younger brother, Kyoya. He was born a few days ago."

At Mitsuru's words, Fon slants his eyes at Yanyu.

"… The Elders were going to take our Kyoya away for ' _training_ '," the woman begins in a venomous voice. "I will not subject my youngest son to their so-called 'training'!"

"Yet you allowed Mitsuru to do so?"

Yanyu lifted her chin, eyes blazing. "I made sure to oversee and attend all the sessions he received while I was carrying Kyoya. The Elders tried to forbade me from doing so, but I still haven't lost my edge and skill despite my long absence from this place."

Fon chuckled. "I bet that was quite a wake-up call for them."

"Oh it was, I assure you…," Yanyu grinned, her smile vicious and ferocious.

"Which of the Elders were going to oversee young Kyoya's training?"

"Elder _Xin_."

For a split-second, a thunderous expression crosses the Arcobaleno's features before his expression smoothes out into a mask of calm and serenity. "I see…"

Elder Xin was notoriously infamous for breaking more recruits than nurturing them. That would explain why Yanyu had taken such drastic measures in order to protect her youngest child.

"… The men outside?" Fon asked, eyes darting towards the lone window.

"Sent after us as a result of Mitsuru storming this compound and taking back our Kyoya."

Fon observed Yanyu a bit closer and frowned, saying, "… You were in the hospital until yesterday." It was a statement, not a question.

"That's correct," Yanyu nodded, "I wasn't about to let my sons or myself be used as a potential hostage, so I broke myself out of the First Compound's hospital and made my way here."

"And Mitsuru's Flames?"

"Most likely awakened during his attack on this compound, by the time I got here a good majority of the members living here had been subdued already."

"And Kyoya?"

"Unharmed and uninjured," Mitsuru spoke up suddenly, the child's voice low and dangerous. "If they had put a single _scratch_ on Kyoya, I would have done more than just render them unconscious…"

Fon and Yanyu shared a look at the threat underlying the young child's voice.

The Storm Arcobaleno smiled suddenly and held up a sleeve to cover his mouth. "… He certainly is a member of our family, is he not?"

"Of course he is, Uncle Fon," Yanyu said in an affronted tone. "Those with our bloodline tend to be quiet, aloof kids with a violent protective streak, I was like that and both of my parents were like that as well when they were that age. I'm sure you were like that too when you were Mitsuru's age too."

"… Perhaps a tad bit more violent," Fon admitted with a small shrug.

Yanyu cracked a smile at the martial artists' words before turning her head to face the direction of the compound's only entrance and subsequent exit. "What happens now, Uncle Fon?"

"Now?" Fon echoed, as he moved towards the only door of the room and slid it open with a quiet _swish_. "Now we leave this place and get you three out of China and back to Japan."

Yanyu gathered her two children in her arms and followed Fon as he made his way out of the room and down the hall. "The Elders won't let us leave so easily…"

Fon turned his head slightly so that Yanyu saw the shadowed profile of his face and she felt a shiver travel up her spine. It was easy to forget that Fon was the World's Best Martial Artist and that he was utterly _dangerous_ when he wanted to be.

"… The Elders won't be able to go against me, Yanyu. If they even attempt to make a move, they'll have to face the dire consequences of touching what's mine."

"… Are you sure you aren't part Cloud, Uncle Fon?" Yanyu laughed breathlessly, nervously. "You sure share the same protective traits as one!"

"Perhaps I was a Cloud in another lifetime," Fon said with a thoughtful smile. "Who knows?"

 **.**

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 **IV.**

As his mother and uncle continue to converse with one another, Mitsuru steals a glance at the sleeping face of his baby brother and smiles.

' _Keep on sleeping peacefully, Kyoya… we're finally going home.'_

 **.**

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 **VI.**

Home is where the heart is supposed to be. It's where one is supposed to go to in order escape the heartaches the hardships of the world. It's supposed to be a haven and retreat for the weary and the tired.

It's supposed to be safe.

And that's exactly what the new Hibari home is like, he thinks as he stares at the reflection staring back at him from within the confines of his bedroom mirror.

Mitsuru Hibari is now nine-years old.

Two entire years have passed since their return to Japan and so much has happened in those short years.

His family had decided to finally break ties with the city that practically raised Mitsuru for a good majority of his young life and the family of four – five if one included an Uncle Fon, who had been hanging around them for a good while now – settled down in the tiny, mountainous village that was Shirakawa, it was the perfect sleepy town for people that wanted a fresh start in life.

Kyoya's second birthday had been celebrated not more than a week ago; Mitsuru's own birthday coming up again in a few months, and already the two year-old toddler was surprising everyone with his quick mastery of being able to walk and run.

"Soon he'll be learning martial arts alongside Uncle Fon," their mother had joked.

His parents eagerly held a second wedding and honeymoon to commemorate their joyous reunion – apparently his father had been held hostage in a well guarded compound as a way to control and blackmail his mother into going back to China and to the Triads. Indoctrinating himself and Kyoya to the Triads would just have been another way to chain their mother to the organization.

Mitsuru closed his eyes as the thoughts and images of his time in China began to flood his mind.

Despite all the harsh sneers and whispers and despite the even harsher training regimens… the nine-year old couldn't honestly say that he didn't enjoy the physical strain and growth he underwent there; especially considering that the sheer amount of passion and determination the other students exuded reminded him so much of his life before this one.

Mitsuru opens his eyes and is met with a face that has become his over the past nine years.

Even at such a young age, Mitsuru can already see himself growing up to be tall and slim, perhaps not as tall as his father, who stands at an impressive five foot eleven inches, but definitely taller than a good majority of Japan. He has dark hair that's cut short and is much softer and manageable that what he had before. His face – while round and chubby with baby fat now – will undoubtedly melt away as time and puberty do their thing and transform him into someone with a feminine face. He has such fair skin in this lifetime that it spurs a desire within him to spend more time in the sun; such pale skin doesn't seem healthy! Finally, Mitsuru locks eyes with his reflection. His eyes are what surprised him the most in this lifetime. Very few people had naturally gray eyes in his previous lifetime, so to come across five people with the genetics to have them… It took Mitsuru the longest time to get used to that color being a part of his face.

Bright golden hair, sun-kissed skin, a stout, but, muscular body honed from years of sports, and dark-brown eyes, it was all gone.

Black hair, pale skin, a lithe body, and light eyes, he was now the complete opposite of what he used to be.

Even his personality had changed.

In this lifetime, in this body as Mitsuru Hibari, he was quiet, not boisterous. Contemplative instead of impatient. Aloof and withdrawn instead of friendly and outgoing.

' _I wonder if this has anything to do with my Flame…'_

Watching intently as his reflection followed his every move; Mitsuru slowly brought a hand up and let the purple fire he knew to be Cloud Flames lick and dance across his fingertips. The brightly-colored flame didn't burn him as a typical fire would; instead, it was cold and cool to the touch. He focused his mind and will, and watched in fascination as the purple flames moved further down his arms.

There was _nothing_ like this in his previous life, at least, nothing outside of manga and movies.

Sure in the Before, one could put on a flame retardant suit, pour gasoline on themselves or some other flammable liquid, light themselves on fire and play with fire that way, however, nothing could beat – and would ever beat – the feeling and sensations nor the incredible sight that was an actual Dying Will Flame.

He leans forward until his forehead meets that of his reflection.

Mitsuru is not stupid – he has the knowledge and memories of a man nearly thrice his age stuffed into his noggin. He knows exactly what world he's been reborn – pun not intended – into.

Realizing he had been born once more? Maybe all those Buddhists were right and reincarnation was a real phenomenon.

Discovering that his last name was now 'Hibari'? Pure coincidence. Who's to say that there isn't a real family with that exact last name calling Japan – or some other country – home?

Realizing that his mother had ties to what was essentially the Chinese mafia? …That one was a bit harder to explain away, but hey, the world was a big place. Who would have guessed that his mother was involved in something like that?

Awakening his Dying Will Flame and meeting the current Storm Arcobaleno – who turned out to be a very distant uncle of his? _That_ was when Mitsuru realized exactly where and which work of fiction he had been reborn – again, pun not intended – into.

The sudden revelation also raised a bunch of questions: Why was he reborn – he was on a roll today, wasn't he? – into a world that wasn't supposed to be 'real'? _How_ was he reborn into such a world anyway? Why did he retain all his memories right off the bat? Wasn't reincarnation supposed to 'wipe the slate clean' so to speak? Why the Hibari family of all families? Was there actually a 'Mitsuru Hibari' in the series that was never spoken of or showcased due to publishing restraints? Or did something far more sinister happen to the rest of the Hibari family sans Kyoya which resulted in the character than people knew and loved?

'… _I don't think the series went too much into detail about Kyoya's past… other than he's lived in Namimori his entire life and met Ryohei before the plot actually began…'_

Mitsuru let out a sigh and cast his attention back to the purple fire burning brightly against the darkness of his bedroom.

… Surprisingly, the Flames did emit some kind of brightness and illuminated his room with a soft white light – which was weird in-and-of-itself seeing as Cloud Flames were _purple_ in color.

Why didn't they give off a purple light? Did all Flames give off light or just Cloud Flames? If all Flames did emit light, did each type shine brighter than others? Did Sun Flames give off the most light while Mist the least amount? Also, since his own Cloud Flames were cool to the touch, did that mean that all Flames cold? Or did 'brighter' Flames like Sun and Storm give off more warmth and heat? One would assume that those Flames did emit some sort of heat seeing as their main property was regeneration and destruction, respectively. Did all Flame Users have the ability to draw out their Flames without a conduit – like a ring or weapon? Or was that capability only reserved for those with stronger Flames? Furthermore, what constituted as a 'strong' Flame? Was it solely dependent on the resolve or will one had? In that case, wouldn't the strength and purity of Flames fluctuate seeing as one's resolve and will could change either weakening or strengthening depending on one's situation and experiences? Did that mean that Dying Will Flames were similar to the Patronus charm in the sense that a stronger 'desire' created a stronger Flame?

"Mitsuru, dinner's ready!"

Lifting his head at the call of his mother, Mitsuru… shut off? Canceled? Ended? – his Flames and got to his feet. He still had so many questions and theories running through his mind, however, those could wait until after dinner.

His mother was making his favorite tonight, hamburger steak!

 **.**

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 **VII.**

Once dinner had been eaten and all the dishes had been washed, dried, and put away, Mitsuru decided to sit down with his uncle and have a serious conversation with the man-trapped-in-a-baby's-body.

Not about Mitsuru's own man-trapped-in-a-child's-body experience, nor would he talk about the potentially damning future knowledge he carried in his brain – he had seen far too many movies and read far too many books to know that _that_ would lead him.

Which brings up another question: Would he eventually meet Mukuro, Byakuran, Aria, and Yuni? Would they realize that he's more than he seem? Mukuro could realize that Mitsuru's soul and mind are far older than what they should be while Byakuran, Aria, and Yuni could easily figure out that he's not from 'this' world via their supernatural abilities to look into parallel worlds and the future respectively.

Ah well, the only thing he can do at the moment is prepare himself mentally and physically for their potential meeting.

"Uncle Fon, I want to learn more about my Cloud Flames."

* * *

 **This is that new OC KHR fic that I mentioned in one of my previous updates.**

 **(I should really stop with all these KHR OC fics... *shrugs* Oh well.)**

 **This time around, Tsuna is NOT the focus of this OC rather, it's Hibari Kyoya!**

 **Although I say OC, Hibari Mitsuru is more of a SI!OC though he isn't based on myself or anyone I know.**

 **As always, please let me know what you all think via PM or Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I.**

The next major character Hibari Mitsuru meets is someone he truly did not expect to meet.

A few months after the now ten-year old child – he celebrated his birthday yesterday – begins his training with Fon, Mitsuru is on his way home from school when the rev of an engine and the sharp cry of, "Hey Fon! How dare you grow taller than the great Skull-sama!" garner his attention and he looks to the side to see quite the comical sight.

An infant dressed entirely in a leather jumpsuit with a racing helmet adorning his head, sitting proudly on top a motorcycle and giving Mitsuru what he imagines is an expectant look – not that the child could tell as the visor on the helmet completely obscures the infant's stare.

The infant does a quick double-take when Mitsuru turns around and cries out, "H-Hey?! Y-You aren't Fon!"

 **.**

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 **II.**

Skull de Mort was not an idiot – depending on who you asked – and he certainly was no fool – again, depending on whom you asked.

Sure, he might be considered the weakest Arcobaleno… Sure, he might have zero knowledge and experience in the mafia... Sure, he might not know how to fight and defend himself... Sure, he might be nothing more than a glorified gopher to that jerk Reborn and Colonnello…

… But …

… But he _was_ an Arcobaleno, damnnit!

There was a reason why he was chosen to be one of the Seven Strongest Infants in the World!

Although… mistaking this kid for Fon had to be one of his more embarrassing moments… The kid didn't even have long hair like Fon's for crying out loud!

Cheeks burning red from embarrassment and eternally grateful that his helmet covered his entire face, Skull manages to splutter out, "N-Never mind! Th-The great Skull-sama thought you w-were someone else!"

The kid turns to fully face him now, and once more, Skull berates himself for somehow mistaking this kid for Fon, and says, "It's fine, people always mistake me for Uncle Fon."

"' _U-Uncle Fon'_?!" He squawks out in disbelief.

The kid nods. "Yes, Fon is my uncle… at least a distantly relative one, that is."

The kid tilts his head and peers at Skull with a calculating gaze, looking far too much like an older and mischievous-looking Fon than Skull is truly comfortable with.

"… Are you looking for my uncle?" The kid asks. "If so, I'm sorry to say that you've just missed him, he actually went back to China this morning."

Skull shakes his head. "N-Nah… the great Skull-sama was just in town and wanted to drop by to make sure that he was alright. He's been acting a bit strange lately…"

"In what sense?"

"Well… he seems to be a bit more… focused than normal…"

"Are you two friends?"

"I… I wouldn't say we're 'friends' per say… we're more like… close acquaintances." Which is as close to accurate as that eloquent description is going to get seeing as how Fon was one of the only – if not _the_ only – Arcobaleno to actually treat him with any semblance of respect.

The kid nods his head once more and smiles gently, eyes shining with sincerity. "I see… he must be worried about my family and me… Well, thank you for coming by to check up on him. Though my uncle isn't here are the moment, it makes me happy to see that he has other people watching out for him."

Something warm blossoms within Skull and he puffs his chest out in pride. "I-It's nothing! The great Skull-sama is more than happy to look out for the people he cares about!"

The kid's smile widens a bit, before a thoughtful look crosses his features. "Say…," the kid begins after a momentary pause, "would you happen to know anything about Cloud Flames?"

The question is so sudden and out-of-left-field that it takes Skull a solid minute for his brain to process what the kid just asked him.

"WH-WHAT?! H-HOW DO YOU KN-KNOW ABOUT CLOUD FLAMES?!"

In response, the kid raises a hand and coats it in the violet fire, causing Skull's brain to shut down from sheer shock.

"WH-WHAT THE HELL?!"

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 **III.**

The kid's name, as it turns out, is Hibari Mitsuru.

Skull also finds out that the kid's family had been essentially blackmailed into joining the Chinese Triad or face a slow and torturous death – one the stuntman had no problem envisioning the infamous assassins inflicting on the child and his family.

"Ugh! That's so messed up! This is why I hate the mafia and all groups like it!" Skull yells, once Mitsuru has given him a quick summary of the kid's life thus far.

"I try to look at the bright side of things," Mitsuru says with a shrug. "My family is alive and well, and Uncle Fon is looking out for us and making sure that the Triads don't try any funny business."

"But still! If Fon hadn't shown up when he did… you and your family would be dead, Kid!"

Mitsuru blinks his gray-colored eyes in surprise before a small smile blossoms on his face. "… You are quite kind, aren't you, Skull?"

Red tinting his cheeks once more, and once again grateful that his helmet covered his face, Skull snaps out, "I-It's common sense that to be angry at people like that!"

The kid laughs lightly for a moment. "Thank you for being worried about my family and me, even though we're nothing more than strangers to you."

Skull lets out a huff and regards the kid standing in front of him before declaring, "… That's it! I've decided to take you under my wing, Kid and teach you how to be as awesome and amazing as me, the great Skull-sama!"

Mitsuru's entire countenance brightens at the infant's suggestion. "Would you really? Uncle Fon is certainly an excellent teacher, but I think it's best to try and learn as much as you can from a bunch of different people!"

"Just you wait, Kid! You'll become so amazing that Fon won't know what hit him!"

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 **IV.**

And so, Mitsuru begins to receive training from Skull.

Skull de Mort aka The Immortal Stuntman aka the Cloud Arcobaleno.

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Needless to say, when his uncle returns from China a couple weeks later and finds out exactly who has integrated himself so well into the Hibari family lifestyle, the martial artist is not that approving. However, Mitsuru's explanation on why the child would like Skull to continue teaching him coupled with Fon's knowledge that Skull is the least likely to bring harm to his relatives, has the Storm Arcobaleno reluctantly agreeing to letting his fellow Arcobaleno stay at the Hibari household, with strict instructions on not to cause _any_ sort of trouble for the family or the town lest he bring down the martial artists' wrath upon him.

Skull is on his absolutely best behavior from then on.

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 **V.**

The next year passes by with relative ease and normalcy.

Mitsuru still attends Shirakawa Elementary school in the daytime and spends time with his family at night. The only major difference to an otherwise unremarkable life, is the fact that in the few hours after school ends and before dinner is served, Mitsuru spends part of that time undergoing martial art training with Fon while practicing his control over his Cloud Flames with Skull during the other half, while some days that time is dedicated solely to understanding the intricacies and mysterious of Dying Will Flames.

Quite a few of his questions have been answered during those types of sessions.

Proficient Storm Flame Users have the capability of controlling when and where their Flames begin to destroy and disintegrate their intended target.

Storm Flames are also like the acid of Flames in the sense that it is able to almost destroy anything the user wishes – except, of course, for its polar opposite: the Rain Flame.

Storm Flames also do indeed give off a slight heat when compared to Cloud Flames and also emit a stronger light in darkened rooms.

A Cloud Flame's ability to duplicate things isn't only restricted to inorganic objects.

Apparently, exceptionally strong Cloud Flames are almost as good as healing wounds and other injuries as Sun Flames since the main attribute of Cloud Flames is its ability to propagate or multiple things.

Strong Flame Users are also able to manifest their Flames anywhere on their body as long as they have a strong enough resolve or the correct training – explaining why Xanxus was able to summon his Flames of Wrath barehanded and why Tsuna and Basil's Dying Will Flame appeared on their forehead. Though _why_ their Flames decided to manifest on their foreheads of all places is something Mitsuru plan on figuring out eventually.

The most interesting theory Mitsuru stumbled upon during one of these sessions was that: it was seemingly impossible to run out of Dying Will Flames, in fact, it was highly probably that one's body would give in and expire from stress and strain long before one exhausted their 'reservoir' of Flames, so to speak. Although, that theory was one that Mitsuru had no intention of fully experimenting with anytime soon.

He didn't want to end up dying a second time, thank you very much.

Skull had commented that he was glad that Verde hadn't been around when Mitsuru had presented that theory to Fon and him, citing that the scientist would have gleefully used Skull as a guinea pig in order to test the validity of that theory.

Mitsuru was a hundred percent certain after that comment that if he were to ever meet the Lightning Arcobaleno, they would not get along with one another.

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 **VI.**

Things change somewhat when Mitsuru is twelve and his baby brother is five.

Instead of Mitsuru being the only one practicing his katas and experimenting when his Flames, young, prodigal Kyoya joins in one afternoon with a quiet declaration that, "the other herbivorous children were too weak and boring to herd around."

To his credit, Skull manages to tremble in fright _only_ slightly when faced with twin, gray-eyed stares of displeasure and annoyance. "I-I only showed him _one_ episode of N-National Geographic…! How was I supposed t-to know that it would influence h-him so much?!"

"Children are extremely susceptible to any kind of stimuli and influence, that's why they have those TV ratings on there, Skull…," Mitsuru says with a sharp frown.

"I-In my defense-!"

"Well, it's fine I suppose," Mitsuru continues, interrupting Skull mid-sentence, "I'm sure we can change Kyoya's mindset eventually."

Though in all honestly, he has no intention of doing that in case he ends up irrevocably changing his younger brother's personality down the road.

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"I'll bite you to death one day, Nii-san," Kyoya says one day, his voice and face radiating seriousness and confidence which would have been quite a terrifying and inspiring sight had Kyoya's face still not consisted mainly of chubby baby fat and had his eyes not been as round and innocent as they were.

Mitsuru hides his smile in the palm of his hand, lest he ends up minimizing the goal his adorable younger brother set for himself and anger the child.

Clearing his throat and masking his face into one as equally serious as the one on Kyoya's features, Mitsuru replies, "I'll eagerly await for that day to come, Kyoya."

Mitsuru supposes that he can deal with undoubtedly innumerable spars Kyoya will subject him to in the near future, so long as he remembers this unexpectedly cute side of his younger brother.

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 **VII.**

Another year eventually ends and begins.

Already, Mitsuru can tell that his body has become stronger and that the control he has over his Flames has gotten much better, though he still has a way to go before…

… Before what, exactly?

Mitsuru ponders this question as the winter snow begins to melt and the flowers of spring being to blossom and bloom.

What does he want out of this life?

Spring flowers give way to the summer heat.

He certainly doesn't need to concentrate or try hard at school – not at the current level of academics he was supposed to be 'learning'. After all, he has almost thirty years of schooling and memories to supplement what he doesn't already know – most of which consists mainly of the Japanese language and history which is completely different than what he already knows and remembers from the Before.

Summer eventually transitions to the colors of autumn.

In the Before, he had been an athlete, granted not a famous one that got all the sponsors and fans, but he did well enough in local and international competitions that he had a relatively comfortable life and was well-known to a specific niche of sports fans.

In the Before, he had been an only child and sports and family were the two constants in his life. When he wasn't out practicing or competing in competitions, he was with his parents and grandparents and vice versa.

He went to college on a sports scholarship and graduated with decent grades – in retrospect, his grades could have been better had be put more time and effort into his academics and less on the next competition, but the past was in the past.

This time around, however, his life was a bit- okay _a lot_ different than before.

Dying Will Flames. Cursed Arcobaleno. Being a _Hibari_ of all people.

Never in his wildest dreams had Mitsuru even imagined that something like this would become his life.

Still that begged the question: What did he want to do?

More importantly, what _could_ he do?

He was ninety-nine percent sure that the character 'Hibari Mitsuru' never existed in the original series.

What did that mean for him?

Was he destined to die before the series even truly began? Or was he simply nothing more than a background character that wouldn't see the light of day?

Could he – _should_ he – use his knowledge to begin changing things?

He could certainly befriend Sawada Tsunayoshi – if and when his family decided to move to Namimori – and work towards building up the brunets' confidence and self-esteem. He could also become friends with Yamamoto Takeshi – again, if and when his family moved – in order to prevent the teen's attempt at suicide – though, would doing so affect the relationship between Tsuna and Yamamoto?

Wasn't he already affecting the plot by essentially monopolizing the time of two of the Arcobaleno by keeping them in Japan for the past couple of years?

And his Flames…

Mitsuru knew that he had incredibly powerful Cloud Flames for someone his age… Flames that would undoubtedly attract the attention of influential people.

A sudden realization dawned on the child.

He should definitely _not_ meet with young Tsunayoshi. What if he ended up Harmonizing with the brunet and became the next Vongola's Cloud Guardian? That would muck up the plot so badly!

Mitsuru let out a sigh at his conundrum.

What did he want to do with this life?

Autumn becomes winter once more, and with the changing of the seasons, Mitsuru finally found his answer.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The Chinese Triad finally makes their move.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **VIII.**

Assassins from the Triad strike when Fon is called back to China for a meeting with the Elders and Skull is out of the country.

The attack is swift, sudden, and deadly.

They strike in the dead of night on a day when the stars and moon is blanketed by thick, rolling clouds and at a time when the four members of the Hibari family are fast asleep, lulled into a sense of safety and security within the confines of their home.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Home is where the heart is supposed to be_.

Mitsuru is awoken by a sound so fleeting and soft that any normal person would think it was the wind, but Mitsuru is not, by any means, 'normal'. Years spent trying to listen and follow the ever inaudible footsteps of his Uncle meant that anyone else sounded like an elephant in a china store to the now thirteen-year old teen.

In a parallel world, one in which young Mitsuru decided not to ask his Uncle about Cloud Flames, this is when a knife would slide ever-so gently into the chest of the teen and end his life for a second time.

This is not that parallel world.

Eyes the color of starlight snap open at the indistinct sound of a persons' footsteps and lock onto the stunned expression of a man clad in blood-red clothing.

Instinctively, automatically, Mitsuru's hands shoot out from underneath his covers and he quickly grabs a hold of the man's clothing, tugging the man towards himself and disrupting the man's sense of balance. The teen's other hand plunges forward in the darkness and finds three specific pressure points on the man's neck and shoulder and in the space of a heartbeat, the Man in Red slumps forward, unconscious.

There is a muffled _thump_ from the room next door and Mitsuru rolls the unconscious man off of him and leaps off his bed, landing on silent feet.

Quickly and noiseless, the teen leaves his room, turns, and throws open the door to his younger brother's room.

Kyoya stands above the comatose body of a woman dressed in red clothing, a look of pure irritation and annoyance marring the six-year olds' features.

"Nii-san," Kyoya says, eyes glancing up and meeting Mitsuru's own gaze, "this pathetic herbivore had the audacity to try and attack me while I slept."

"Are you hurt, Kyoya?"

"Only appalled and disgusted by her sorry excuse of an assassination," Kyoya sneers, looking down at the woman crumpled on the floor, "even that Purple Herbivore can move quieter than her."

Mitsuru nods. "Good, we must check on Mother and Father at once."

"Naturally," Kyoya replies, carelessly stepping on the downed woman and around his older brother. "Who do these herbivores think they are, attempting such a sloppy and pitiable assassination on us?"

"I believe they belong to the Chinese Triads… the group that Uncle Fon is associated with."

Kyoya snorts derisively. "And he told the Purple Herbivore to make sure that he doesn't cause any trouble…"

Mitsuru feels a smile stretch across his lips at the sheer amount of disinterest Kyoya is exuding.

As the younger Hibari brother rounds the hallway corner, he stops. "Mother," Kyoya says.

Not a second later, Mitsuru also turns the corner and sees their mother striding up from the other end of the hall. "Mother, you are unharmed," the teen comments, relief coloring his voice.

Yanyu scoffs softly. "As if low-ranking members like them could take down someone with my level of skill and expertise."

Kyoya nods and moves closer to the matriarch of the Hibari family. "As expected of Mother, you are not easily defeated by the likes of them-"

The child stiffens abruptly and crumples to the floor, eyes opened far too wide, and body sporadically shaking and jerking violently.

Mitsuru eyes follow the collapse of his younger brother in disbelief before his eyes snap up to his the woman standing a few feet away, a serene look painted onto her face and for a moment, Mitsuru feels… something pressing into his mind. It whispers something that he can't quite make out over the sudden roar of blood in his ears and the teen dazedly realizes that his mother's lips are moving and that she is trying to tell him something and if he just strained hard enough he would be able to hear what she was trying to say and-

"You're not Mother."

Akin to a trigger setting off a bomb, that single phrase is the catalyst for an explosion of Cloud Flames to rip through the Hibari home.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _The main attribute of Cloud Flames is its ability to propagate or multiple things._

'Yanyu' dies from her organs multiplying far too quickly for her body to handle, her body literally popping open in a shower of red and gore. The rest of the deployed assassins perish in a much similar fashion.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Home is supposed to be safe._

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

In the aftermath of his eruption of Cloud Flames, Mitsuru eventually finds the bodies of both his parents in their master bedroom.

It was evident that they went down fighting.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

In a parallel world, Mitsuru along with his parents would have perished that night and the sight of his families' bodies would have driven the now orphaned Kyoya to awaken his Cloud Flames and cause the child to lock away his heart and feelings, turning him into the true epitome of an aloof and distant Cloud.

This is not that parallel world.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IX.**

Surprisingly, it is Skull who returns to Japan first and finds the empty but still bloodied Hibari house.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened while he and Fon were away.

Upon his arrival and inspection of the gruesome scene, he immediately phones Fon.

" _Skull? What is it? Did Kyoya beat you up again? You know how he is Skull-"_

"The Triads went after them."

For a moment, all Skull can hear is the stuttered breath of the Arcobaleno on the other end of the phone.

Then the call ends.

Blanked-face, Skull lowers his phone and stares out at the quiet building.

There are two freshly dug graves in the backyard, painstakingly situated underneath the largest maple tree within the fenced area. A piece of paper is stapled to the bark of the maple tree, in the familiar scrawl of Mitsuru, it reads:

 _We're going to Namimori._

* * *

 **So I actually had this chapter finished a while ago but it was just sitting on my computer for the longest time.,,**

 **As always, let me know what you all thought via PM or Review!**

 _ **Updated: 12/31/2019**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I.**

Ueda Hideki is a simple man.

He enjoyed waking up an hour before the sun rose in order to do some early morning tai chi before watching the sunrise from his immaculate garden. He liked drinking green tea and eating sweets while he listened to the news reporters drone on and one about taxes and the stock market. He loved practicing his calligraphy and cleaning his extensive collection of the things he had gathered over the many years.

He enjoyed his solitary and orderly lifestyle.

So when his doorbell chimed softly _just_ as he's about to sit down for his morning cup of tea, it's understandable that he was irritated at this obvious breach of normalcy.

Hideki made his way to the front of his estate and slid the door open with a snap of, "What?! Who is it?!"

"… Ueda Hideki…?" A voice hedged out from somewhere below Hideki's field of vision.

He dragged his gaze downwards and is met with twin silver-eyes stares set in two faces that both haunt and anger him.

"… What the hell do you brats want?! If this is my idiot son's idea of trying to get back on my good side that fool has another thing coming to him if he-!"

"Father is dead." The older brat says in a bland voice.

Hideki shut his mouth with an audible _clink_ ; eyes going wide at the child's casual declaration.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

Mitsuru peered up at the shell-shocked man.

Ueda Hideki was Kyoya and his grandfather from their father's side of the family. The _only_ family they had left in Japan, aside from Uncle Fon who still most likely in China and wouldn't be coming back anytime soon – or soon enough to be able to properly look out for and protect them. It was either wait in that bloodied and destroyed house and hope that either Uncle Fon or Skull came back before more assassins were sent after them, or take initiative and head to the relative safety of Namimori themselves to formally introduce themselves to the Grandfather they had never met before.

The choice was obvious.

Mitsuru wasn't sure if 'Ueda Hideki' existed in the series, but, _somehow_ Kyoya had ended up living in Namimori and – if Japan's laws were anything like American laws – Kyoya had to have had an adult as his legal guardian.

' _Which reminds me… I should probably look up laws about emancipation in Japan – if there are any.'_

And if one Ueda Hideki was Series!Kyoya's legal guardian, then so be it, he would be Mitsuru's too.

At least until the teen got older.

"Mother is dead to," Mitsuru adds on after it became abundantly clear that Hideki wouldn't be speaking anytime soon.

"They were murdered by some weak, pathetic Herbivores whose only chances of winning were attacking Mother and Father in a pathetic pack while Mother and Father slept," Kyoya spit out, voice filled with suppressed rage and disgust.

"We didn't have anywhere else to go-"

"-It would have been completely idiotic to wait in a house full of blood and body parts for Uncle Fon or the Purple Herbivore to come back-"

"-So we decided to come here… if that's alright with you…?"

Theoretically, Kyoya would have been much better suited to playing the 'young, innocent, and frightened child'; however, he was much too honest and serious to pull of such a role intentionally.

Therefore, it fell upon Mitsuru's shoulders instead.

Mitsuru tilted his head up a bit further and widened his eyes _just_ enough so he appears as nothing more than innocent and hopeful with a dash of fear to add that extra _oomph_ to his expression.

Wordlessly, Hideki turned around and disappeared further into his house.

"… Well," Mitsuru began, blinking once at his grandfather's sudden departure, "that wasn't a clear dismissal _and_ he left the door open for us. So…"

The brothers followed their grandfather into the home.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

Ueda Hideki is a simple man.

A widower of nearly twenty-five years (Bless his dear Yuriko's soul), he enjoyed the simplicity and solitude of living alone. No need to worry about how much food to cook, no need to worry about cleaning up after rambunctious children, no need to worry about utilities or holidays or electronics or how well and how proud he is of his idiot son and the grandchildren he never had a chance to get to know, and no need to worry about how lonely and quiet and soul-crushing and _terrible_ it was without-

" _Goddamn_ that idiot son of mine…!" Hideki snarled, his head falling into his hands and his knees collapsing out from under him when his mind finally processed the implications and consequences of his son's death. A choking sob bubbled out from his throat and he took several gulping breathes in order to calm his trembling body. "Goddamn that _Idiot_! And goddamn that woman that married an idiot like him!"

"Careful, Grandfather, those are our dead parents you're cursing," Mitsuru spoke evenly, sinking down onto the _tatami_ -lined floor, his legs folded neatly under his body.

"Shut up, you Brat! You don't know a goddamn thing about anything! I told that idiot son of mine not to marry that woman and now look what happened! My son and his wife are _dead_!"

"And _we_ were the ones to find their bodies and bury them," Mitsuru countered coldly, silver-colored eyes glaring harshly at his grandfather. "And don't forget that _you_ were the one to cut off all communications with Father, Grandfather. You don't have the right to start regretting how you treated our parents."

Hideki swung his arm out with bared teeth. "I knew that woman would be the death of his one day! You can't just 'leave' the Chinese Triads! I knew that! That woman knew that! And my idiot son knew that!"

"They also loved each other deeply, Grandfather. You knew that, they knew that, we all knew that."

"…' _Love'_?! Look at where that 'love' got him and us! Ostracized by me because I feared for his safety! _Dead_ because of that Woman's past! And that damned Idiot went and left the two of you behind!"

"Mother _and_ Father died fighting," Kyoya spoke from his seat next to his brother. "It's not their fault that they died; it's the Herbivorous Triad's fault for forcing them to fight until they died."

Hideki's mouth fell open and he wordlessly gaped at the two brothers for a few minutes. "… How…," he managed to choke out, " _how_ can the two of you just… _sit_ there and speak about their deaths so… so _casually_?!"

"We mourned for them," Mitsuru said solemnly, bowing his head, "how could we not? But… Mother and Father raised us to be strong… to take any and all heartbreak and to use it to make us stronger. We want to mourn for them longer, but, right now is not the time to do so – not when the Chinese Triads are still out there, looking for us. Hunting us."

"S-So you brought them to _here_?!" Hideki yelled. "To quiet little Namimori?! The Triads will slaughter everyone in town! Or worse!"

"We didn't have any other choice, Grandfather. What were we supposed to do? Wait in that ruined house knowing full well that the Triads knew we were there? We didn't know when Uncle Fon or Skull would be coming back and it would be utter foolishness for us to wait in that house… So we decided to come here – to you. To a place that the Triads didn't know about."

A hysterical laugh sounded from their grandfather and Mitsuru flinched at the broken sound. After a moment's hesitation, he crawled forward on his hands and knees.

"… We are _so_ sorry for your loss, Grandfather," Mitsuru said gently, placing a hand on his grandfather's arm. "And we know that this isn't the best of circumstances to be meeting, but… we also know that Father loved you, Grandfather. Though neither of you spoke for the past several years… Father would often show us pictures of you and him and Grandmother when Father was young and he would tell us stories about you during his childhood and he would wish that you were there for every Christmas and birthday and anniversary..."

Another choked sob bubbled out of Hideki.

"… And we know that it's not easy trying to wrap your mind around a situation of his severity, and Kyoya and I understand if you don't want us to stay here forever… but, could you just let us stay here until Uncle Fon or Skull comes for us…? I-It's not safe for us to be on the road at our age and we haven't slept in a real bed for th-three days and w-we're scared and tired and hungry and… and-"

Mitsuru stopped mid-sentence when he realized that tears were streaming down his face.

The sudden realization of _everything_ that had happened over the past few days hit him like a freight train and took his breath away. The world turned blurry – whether that was due to his tears or his spinning head, Mitsuru didn't know – and he felt blood rushing in his ears as his breath quickened.

… His parents were dead.

And he had killed the people that caused their deaths.

Three days of very little food and water.

His mother and father were dead.

Three long days and nights of sleeping huddled under trees and in bushes.

His mother and father were dead.

Three agonizing days of non-stop running and moving and looking over his shoulder in fear and trepidation – of looking for that flash of – _blood_ – red to dart out from the forest and-

His mother and father were dead.

His mother _and_ father were dead.

And he had _killed_ the people that caused their deaths.

 _His mother and father were dead._

"… I-I… don't feel s-so… good…"

The last thing that Mitsuru saw before blacking out was the world suddenly _tilting_ and the concerned, distant shout of Kyoya and then-

Nothing.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IV.**

Mitsuru clawed back to consciousness and opened his eyes to stare listlessly up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the unfamiliar room from the unfamiliar bedding he found himself tucked into. His mind blearily realized that one half of the sliding doors leading out of the room had been opened and the dusk-colored sun painted rectangles of burnt orange along the interior walls of the room.

"I see you're awake now."

Mitsuru tilted his head and spotting the serene form of his uncle sitting just beyond the threshold of the room he had woken up in.

… Logically speaking, Mitsuru's mental age was that of a late twenty year-old man who had witnessed and mourned the passing of several family members, which meant that he should be somewhat used to the idea of loved ones leaving.

… Logically speaking, Mitsuru knew that the death of his parents wasn't Fon's or Skull's fault, which meant that he shouldn't be feeling all this anger and guilt at them for not being there to protect the people he loved.

Still…

It was hard to not blame Fon and Skull for not being there to stop the assassins from killing his parents.

It was even harder to not blame himself for not being strong enough to protect the people he cared about.

It was even harder than that to deny the fact that he had _seen_ his parent's lifeless, bloodied bodies and say that he wasn't affect by such a gruesome scene.

"… What did you do, Uncle Fon?"

"I made sure that the Triads understood my message and ire… rest assured, they won't be targeting you or Kyoya anytime soon, or at all for that matter."

"… Good." Mitsuru swallowed. "… I'm going to get stronger, Uncle Fon. Strong enough to prevent anything like this from happening again. Strong enough to protect the people I care about."

"… It's okay to mourn, Mitsuru," Fon said softly, bowing his head. "You are entitled to grieving for the untimely passing of your parents."

For a moment, Mitsuru didn't do anything.

Then he covered his eyes with his forearm and _cried_.

* * *

 **Despite Mitsuru have the memories and mental maturity of an adult, I would imagine that witnessing and surviving an attack like that – and the subsequent three days of little food, water, and sleep – would traumatize almost anyone who didn't have the right training or mental fortitude to endure something like that. Which is why, when Mitsuru's subconscious recognized that he was in a safe place, the reality and consequences of everything (the death of his parents, the attack on Kyoya, his Flames destroying the Triads in his home, etc.) hit him at once his mind basically shut down from the sheer onslaught of memories and emotions.**

 **And if it seems like his personality goes from one end of the spectrum to the other in a short amount of time, I would like to reiterate that Mitsuru has been through Hell the past few days – he is tired, hungry, cold, and just witnessed something traumatizing; he is not in an okay state of mind right now.**

 **To be honest, I'll most likely re-post this chapter with an updated one – preferably one that has more information and better formatting – sometime in the future, but at the moment, I think this chapter is okay for now.**

 **Please let me know what you all thought via PM or Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I.**

The first few days after his parents passing drifts by in a hazy, mindless blur.

Mitsuru remembers Uncle Fon and Grandfather sitting him and Kyoya down to go over everything that had happened and, subsequently, everything that would happen from then on. He doesn't remember the conversation in its entirety – only remembers snippets and snatches of conversations and concerned looks sent his way, but he remembers the gist of it all. He and Kyoya would spend some time in their grandfather's home, resting and recuperating from their horrific ordeal while Fon would go back to their previous home and tie up the dozens of loose ends that their parents' untimely passing had undoubtedly caused.

He recalls the bits and pieces and simple baubles he owned, and the ever-growing collection of books and child-sized weaponry Kyoya had, and their late-parents belongings being surreptitiously delivered to his grandfather's house one sunny afternoon. He remembers staring at that particular box for the longest time. He recalls sitting down with Kyoya – or was it Kyoya that sat down with him? – and going through their parents' things, an undetermined amount of time later.

He remembers unearthing a Will – written in the familiar hand-writing of his mother and suddenly his eyes were burning and his throat was tightening – which names her father-in-law as her children's new guardian and caretaker.

Mitsuru remembers how his grandfather had scoffed and loudly berated his late-mother for dumping two _"uneducated brats"_ on his hands without sufficient prior notice and how it was _"just like that woman to pull a stunt like this!"_.

But his hand trembled as he took the last will and testament and filed it away with the utmost care.

Mitsuru remembers Skull's sudden appearance and being surprised at the sheer amount of cold fury and desperate concern painted on the Arcobaleno's face.

 **.**

"… _. Skull…?" Mitsuru remembers his voice coming out as a harsh croak and briefly wondered when the last time he had something to drink. "What are you doing here…?"_

 _To be honest, Mitsuru expected Skull to explode in anger and rage, but, the Cloud Arcobaleno seemed calm, eerily so. "… 'What am I doing here,' he asks… I'm here to check on you and your brother, Idiot."_

 _The dark-haired child blink. Even Skull's voice only held the faintest amount of anger._

" _Oh…" Mitsuru paused, regarding the tautness of Skull's shoulders and clenched jaw line with a slow tilt of his head. "You seem a bit…tense, Skull."_

 _Skull exploded._

"… _WHY… WHY AREN'T YOU CRYING OR SCREAMING O-OR DOING_ SOMETHING _RIGHT NOW, MITSURU?! A-AREN'T YOU_ FURIOUS _AT THE TRIADS FOR ATTACKING YOU AND YOUR BROTHER AND_ KILLING _YOUR PARENTS LIKE THAT?!"_

 _Gray eyes blinked once, then twice, seemingly unaffected by the others' outburst.. "… I've cried far too much already, Skull."_

 _Skull took in a long, shuddering breath and drew back. "… There are_ never _enough tears to shed over the deaths of the people you love," he said, his voice pitched low and his eyes shadowed by his bangs – hands clenched into tight, trembling fists once more._

" _I'll have you know that I cried twice already, Skull." Mitsuru said in an attempt to brighten the mood. "And I feel so much… lighter and freer now."_

"… _It's only been four days, Mitsuru. You can't possibly begin to convince me that you've gotten all of your grief and anger and misery out already."_

 _Mitsuru looked down at his hands. "… I have to be strong, Skull," he began in a whisper. "For my baby brother who was attacked in a much more invasive, insidious manner than I was and who lost his parents as well, for Uncle Fon who lost a safe haven and a close family member and a_ home _, for Grandfather who lost a son and a daughter-in-law whom he did love and care for deep down, and… for you who also lose a home and who undoubtedly blames himself for not being there to protect us."_

"… _And what about_ you _," Skull challenged, violet eyes boring into Mitsuru's gray eyes. "For all your maturity and intelligence… you're just a_ kid _, Mitsuru. Who's gonna take care of you and make sure_ you _get through this okay?"_

 _Mitsuru raised his head and smiled. Though there was something… not mocking or teasing about it but something… it was a secretive, mysterious, other-worldly smile. As if that ten-year old child knew something vital that Skull didn't know about._

 _Mitsuru blinked and his smile turned a touch more genuine. "I suppose… that's why I have Kyoya and Uncle Fon and Grandfather and you, right? You'll all help me get through this difficult time just like I'll help all of you!"_

 _The two held each other's gaze for a moment, before the Cloud Arcobaleno puffed his chest out with pride – his normal boisterous personality coming back. "O-Of course! You can count on the great Skull-sama for anything and everything you or your family will need!"_

" _Thank you, Skull. I really do mean it."_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

The next few weeks also passes by in a blur.

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up the only to discover that Grandfather had transformed two of the many, many, _many_ unused rooms into twin 'official' bedrooms for Kyoya and himself. Almost immediately, Kyoya takes the opportunity to lay claim to other parts of the house including the entire right-half of the garden, an empty room-turned-storage-space-turned-office, and the hundred-year old peach tree that sits in the front courtyard. Their grandfather grumbled half-heartedly at Kyoya's antics, but didn't stop him from expanding his fledging territory.

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up to find out that Uncle Fon has taken over another spare bedroom – the one located directly in between Mitsuru and Kyoya's new bedrooms – and has turned it into his own little, private sanctuary.

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up to Skull cheerfully tinkering away at his motorcycle in one of the two storerooms-turned-apartments in the backyard.

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up to his younger brother demanding a spar. _"It's been long enough, Nii-san. If we sit idly by for much longer, we will start to grow weak like the Purple Herbivore."_ Needless to say, Skull wasn't too happy to be called 'weak' and launched a 'surprise' attack at the six-year old, only to be brutally defeated in a scant two minutes by said six-year old.

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up to his grandfather handing him a crudely-wrapped box one day over dinner. _"I know it's a few months late, but… I've written down your birthday and your brother's birthday on the kitchen calendar and this is the first of many that I plan to give you two brats…"_

 _Mitsuru smiled. "Thank you, Grandfather… only thirteen more present to make up for!"_

" _Tch… cheeky brat…!"_

Mitsuru goes to sleep and wakes up to Kyoya wanting to spar every other day, to his Uncle's indulging smiles and soothing presence, to Skull's loud laughter and crazy antics, to his grandfather's curt bordering on embarrassed displays of love and affection; he wakes up to people that care for him and fusses over him when he's feeling down and shares in his pride and joy in his accomplishments.

He wakes up to a Family.

And slowly, but, surely his eyes begin to brighten and his smiles become more genuine and commonplace.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

Four months and five days after his parents' deaths, they are finally put to rest in the Ueda Family Cemetery.

It is a private and somber affair. Hideki presides over the event, but everyone gives a eulogy. They all had something to say about the late-matriarch and patriarchs of the Hibari family.

Tears are shed and promises are made and life goes on.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IV.**

Five months after his arrival in Namimori, Hibari Mitsuru begins his first day of middle school.

* * *

 **So this chapter is mainly filler and takes place over the span of five-or-so months.**

 **For the funeral of Mitsuru's parents, in Chapter Two, I wrote that he and Kyoya had buried their parents in the yard of their previous home but they wouldn't leave them there for anyone to dig up – whether on accident or deliberately – and everyone would feel loads better if they were buried someplace close by and secured.**

 **As always, please let me know what you all thought via Review or PM!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I.**

Ask anyone living in rural Namimori and they would say that Kubota Asahi was a King – no… was _the_ King of the tiny town.

Despite being only fourteen years old and a second-year in middle school, Asahi knew that he was born to rule and lord over the pathetic weaklings that cowered under his might. Why? Because he was _strong_ and everyone knew that might was right!

Slamming his homeroom door open with unnecessary force – and grinning widely at the startled jumps and yelps that sounded across the classroom when his classmates and teacher saw just who it was – Asahi sauntered into the room, his usual band of friends and fellow troublemakers slinking in behind him with loud, overlapping, boisterous voices.

Shoving people, and entire desks and chairs as well, out of his path, he and his group leisurely made their way to their preferred spot of the classroom: the far corner next to the bookshelves – which had no books, only their favorite snacks, drinks, and videogames – and the second-story window – which they always unlocked and opened to toss their trash, and sometimes themselves and each other, out of for shit and giggles.

As Asahi slipped into his seat and propped his feet up onto his desk, he barred his teeth in a parody of a smile at the petrified teacher, and let out a loud cackle when she let out a terrified squeak and practically fled behind her podium.

"What a weakling!" He crowed, head tossed back with laughter as he linked his hands behind his head and tilting his seat back.

He _relished_ in the absolute fear and terror his very presence wrought in the classroom.

Tuning out the stuttered whispers of the teacher, when she finally mustered the courage to resume the lesson a long ten minutes later, Asahi snatched the nearest Game Boy from one of his friends – and ignored the angry cussing that followed, he, in return, casually flipped them off – and began playing whatever game was on the console.

It was _Pokémon_ – _Pokémon Yellow_ to be exact. Asahi pressed the start button to bring up the in-game menu to check what Pokémon he had on his team and frowned sharply when his team popped up on the screen. All 'he' had on his team were a: level twelve Pikachu, a level nine Pidgey, a level five Caterpie, and a level three Bellsprout.

"What the fuck, Tadashi?!" He snapped in irritation, exiting the game's menu screen and maneuvering the in-game sprite of 'him' to the nearest patch of tall grass. It was time to grind. "Your team is shit!"

"Not my fault, Asahi! I just started that yesterday!"

"… Whatever," Asahi grumbled as the Game Boy screen flashed once, then twice, before blacking out – the telltale, 8-bit music of an upcoming battle drifting through the tiny speakers. His in-game character had encountered a wild Ratata and he smirked in pleasure when his Pikachu easily caused the wild Ratata to faint after a few _Thunderbolts_ and _Tackles_.

His Pikachu's experience bar went up, but not by a lot, so he continued to have his character walk back and forth through the tall grass, battling any and every wild Pokémon that appeared, and watching with satisfaction at his Pikachu's experience bar grew more and more, until it had leveled up to thirteen.

"Nice!" He murmured, continuing to walk the tall grass and battling wild Pokémon until his Pikachu was level fifteen.

Deciding that his Pikachu was at an okay level for now, Asahi made his second-strongest Pokémon first on his team and began grinding and leveling up his Pidgey.

He got so engrossed in the game, finding the repetitive actions of his in-game character soothing, that he almost missed the sharp intake of breathe by the class nor the long, low whistle that someone to his left let out.

Visibly angered that his concentration had been interrupted, that fucking distraction had caused him to press the wrong button and his Bellsprout had fainted against a fucking _Metapod_!, Asahi jerked his head up, eyes already set in his trademark glare that always set everyone running, only to freeze at the sight of the very new and very eye-catching person standing at the front of the classroom.

Smooth, pale skin. Glossy, black hair. Almond-shaped eyes that were a striking gray. A regal posture that screamed confidence and poise and strength.

Asahi wanted, _needed_ , this new kid in his group.

As the new kid opened his mouth and began introducing himself, Asahi slammed a fist on his desk and shouted, "Oi! Pretty Boy! You're joinin' my group! Understand?!"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

The Namimori that Hibari Mitsuru lived in now was completely different than the one that was showcased in the series.

Although it made sense, in a way, since everyone and everything currently existed in a time period from before the series even began – so of course there would be some buildings and places that weren't built yet or looked completely different now versus in the future, when the series did take place.

Hell, _Kokuyo Land_ was still in operation last Mitsuru checked and he was pretty sure that the amusement park was supposed to have been shut down by now! Though since they were still open, a sm- okay, rather large part of him wanted to indulge in the sights and sounds and games and rides of the park – he had never been to an amusement park in this lifetime before and he could no longer recall when the last time he went to one in the Before was… He remembered going to one after graduating high school – it was the schools' and parent's way of giving the graduates one last fond memory of high school, but recalling any specific memories and feelings was downright impossible.

"I should ask Grandfather if he could take all of us to Kokuyo Land before they close for good…"

And where the future Namimori Station Underground Shopping would eventually stand, there was nothing but a gigantic plot of land and dirt. The only areas that looked even the tiniest bit familiar to Mitsuru were the Namimori Shrine and the place where most of the series took place in – Namimori Middle School.

Despite his previous self being dead and gone for over fourteen years – give or take a few years if he had spent some time in the afterlife or whatever purgatory he might have been in before being reborn (haha) into this world – and with the current him only remembering the major plot points (Daily Life Arc, Kokuyo Arc, Ring Battle Arc, Future Arc, Shimon Arc, Arcobaleno Arc), Mitsuru felt a strong sense of nostalgia after seeing the, in his world, well-known, and well-beloved middle school in all its' glory.

… Perhaps he was feeling all this nostalgia and longing because seeing the school reminded him of his life in the Before – when he and his friends would gather at their own middle school and talk about the latest chapter or episode of _Katekyou Hitman Reborn!_.

Shaking his head lightly with a rueful smile, Mitsuru allowed himself a moment of remembrance before he pushed those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind.

This – _He_ , as Hibari Mitsuru, older brother of Hibari Kyoya – was his present now.

Mitsuru shifted the strap of his school-issued school-bag and took his first step – but certainly not his last; he could already picture his adorable younger brother taking over the facilities and faculty and setting his own rules and policies to ensure that the herbivorous students and teachers stayed safe and content, Mitsuru knew that despite Kyoya's prickly and stand-offish nature, the now seven year-old child, cared and loved fiercely – onto the fabled school grounds…

… And right into a full-blown _brawl_ that was happening right smack in the middle of the courtyard.

Eyes wide with shock and disbelief, mouth open from being rendered speechless, Mitsuru could do nothing but stare at the crowd of people: some were wearing the middle school uniform and others…

Anger boiled, red-hot and ugly, in his body when his mind registered that there were _teenagers_ and full-grown _adults_ actively taking part in the free-for-all-fighting that was happening right before his eyes.

Mitsuru, his eyes shadowed by his bangs, took a step forward, and then another, and then another, striding forward calmly until he was right in the middle of the violence.

"Get out da way, Damned Brat!"

"Weak kids like you need to be in class, Little Boy!"

A fist was coming in from his left, a foot from his right; Mitsuru let out a long breath and snapped his head up, pinning the pig-Adult and the disgusting-Teen with a narrowed glare, before blurring into motion.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

"… Well…," Mitsuru murmured to himself as he stared dispassionately down at the comatose bodies of the adults and teenagers that had been taking part in the brawl – he had scared his fellow middle-schoolers, he could tell that they were delinquents in the making, Kyoya would be having a field day with them, off with a glare and a few pointed words. He sighed and said, "I now know why Kyoya formed the Disciplinary Committee if _this_ is what Namimori Middle was like in the series…"

After ensuring that there wasn't any dirt or blood on his clothing – there was none, he only got dirty or bloody or dirty _and_ bloody when he fought Kyoya or Uncle Fon, he and Skull never sparred since the Cloud Arcobaleno thought it wasn't right to fight against a child – Mitsuru smoothed down his hair and made his way into the building.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IV.**

And, after being directed to his new homeroom, that was how Hibari Mitsuru found himself being told that he was the newest member of some kind of gang – no if, ands, or buts about it.

The students' – a lanky teen Mitsuru's own age with tanned skin and dark-brown eyes with short, spiky, obnoxiously bright and obviously dyed blonde hair brushed backed with a white headband on his head – arrogance and assurance was abundantly clear in the curve of his smirk and his relaxed body language.

' _This,'_ Mitsuru surmised after a quick once-over, _'is someone far too used to getting and taking what they want.'_

Those types of people – the types that thought they were entitled to the world on a silver platter, who assumed that they could get whatever they wanted whenever they wanted were the type of person that Mitsuru disliked the most.

Hard work meant nothing to them.

Learning meant nothing to them.

 _Others_ meant nothing to them.

Ah… how irritating.

Mitsuru tilted his head with a genial smile, his eyes sliding shut and making him look creepily similar to Fon – Skull's words.

"I refuse."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **V.**

At the new kid's refusal, Asahi couldn't help but throw his head back with a bellowing laugh. "Hahaha! Ya think ya have a right to turn _me_ down?! How cute!" Releasing another laugh had the rest of his friends chuckling and snickering with him.

Asahi stood suddenly and began ambling his way towards the new kid, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Since your new and all to my town, lemme tell ya how things work around here, Pretty Boy. The name's Kubota Asahi and _I_ run this town, ya get me? I can do whatever the fuck I want whenever the fuck I want because everyone bows down to me, understand? If I tell ya to jump, ya ask me: _How high, Asahi_? If I say that I want your stuff, you're gonna give me your goddamned stuff. And if I say that you're joining my group, then you are joining my group."

When he reached the still-smiling Mitsuru, Asahi lifted a hand and clamped it down on one of Mitsuru's shoulders – his fingers digging into Mitsuru's shoulder. "Now… do ya understand how things are done around here? I'd hate to have to… damage that pretty face of yours, New Kid."

From being this close to the New Kid, Asahi could clearly see the New Kid's clear skin and long lashes and rosy cheeks. This was obviously some rich, coddled kid that didn't know the definition of hard work and struggle.

Everyone in his motley group knew of hardships and loss in one way or another, and Asahi knew that it would only be a matter of time before the New Kid went through such an ordeal – Asahi had a sort of sixth sense for people like that.

It was a blessing – never a curse, _never_ – of Asahi's, to be able to gather and nurture the broken members and outcasts of society.

The New Kid would become one of his – one way or another.

Still smiling serenely – Fucking God… the New Kid looked like a fucking porcelain doll! So fragile and dainty! – the New Kid placed a hand over Asahi's and patted it gently.

"I apologize, but I must decline your offer."

Asahi's easy-going grin fell at the refusal. "… Sorry, New Kid… ya don't got a choice."

One of the New Kid's eyes opened slightly – only a sliver of his intense starlight-sliver gaze shining through – and suddenly there was an uncomfortable pressure surrounding the two of them.

Asahi's body jerked at the sudden weight bearing down on him and he quickly snatched his hand from the New Kid's shoulder, his dark-brown eyes narrowing in thought as the New Kid turned to chat with the weakling of a teacher who was looking at the New Kid with a mixture of fear and awe – though mostly awe.

The teacher finally assigned the New Kid a desk and as he brushed past Asahi, Asahi couldn't help but train his gaze at the New Kid's back.

That sudden pressure… it wasn't fear or anger… it was something… physical, almost tangible… just what _was_ that? And just who _was_ his New Kid?

* * *

 **It's been 7 months since I last sat down and actually** _ **thought**_ **about this story – I had small ideas and snippets that came to me over the past 7 months, but none of them really gave me the inspiration to sit and write – that and work has been getting more and more intense with summer ending and school starting back up…**

 **I really want to thank my readers for reviewing this story in the last few months, especially considering that the last update for** _ **Clouds in the Sky**_ **was December of last year.**

 **I always knew that I was going to give Mitsuru two close friends and I knew I wanted one to be a delinquent-type, someone brash and headstrong and I also wanted to flesh out the Disciplinary Committee's (** _ **Why**_ **did Hibari form the committee in the first place? And why was it comprised of mainly delinquents?) and Namimori's back story/history and this is what my brain came up with: that it used to be a gathering place for delinquents and troublemakers before Hibari started the Disciplinary Committee.**

 **As always, please let me know what you all thought via PM or Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I.**

Hibari Mitsuru had a stalker.

... Well... perhaps the word 'stalker' was too strong of a word.

Hibari Mitsuru had... an admirer - albeit a very shady, dodgy, glowering admirer.

He leisurely raised his arms above his head, entwined his fingers together, and leaned against the back of his chair - his spine arching in a slow, languid stretch as he casually, subtly, turned his head to glance at the blond-haired, brown-eyed classmate of his that had been starring daggers into Mitsuru's back ever since they had... introduced themselves to one another.

Mitsuru brought his arms down and placed them on his desk, focusing a small portion of his attention onto what the teacher was saying, while the larger part of his mind went over what had happened a few hours before.

... Kubota Asahi, was it...?

There was no mention of a character with that name in the series, which meant that this Asahi was little more than a background character who wouldn't leave a huge impact on the series as a whole.

And yet… _somehow_ the Disciplinary Committee had been formed, but, wasn't that because of Kusakabe Tetsuya and Kyoya? Wasn't Kusakabe supposed to be the leader of the delinquents? Or was it someone else that the years had blurred from Mitsuru's memories?

The teacher nervously began handing out papers and Mitsuru took the stack of papers from the student seated in front of him, took the top sheet, and passed the remaining pile to the student sitting behind him.

Ah, well… he most likely had nothing to worry about.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

A Cloud Flame-covered tonfa was sailing towards his face. Nimbly, Mitsuru back-flipped away, flipping once, twice, thrice, until his feet made impact with the wooden planks of the veranda that encircled Grandfather's home.

Using the veranda as a springboard, Mitsuru leapt high into the air – enhancing the blood and oxygen in his muscles to give himself extra height – and landed on the far end of the garden he and Kyoya were sparring in.

As always, they were being watched and evaluated by their Uncle Fon, who sat just inches from where Mitsuru had launched himself from, a steaming cup of tea in hand and a serene smile on his lips.

Kyoya quickly spun on his heel and began rushing towards his older brother, tonfa still covered in bright purple Flames.

Those had been a gift from Mitsuru who had purchased the child-sized tonfa from a tiny, non-descript store that was sandwiched between a busy café and a bookstore in the local shopping district.

All this time, he had been wondering where some of the characters had gotten their weapons from and apparently it was all handmade by some average looking person in a store with no name on it.

Not suspicious at all…

Well, Mitsuru had to give Taketa Tarou credit, the man certainly had the skills to create weapons that could conduct and withstand strong Flames, since most weapons that young Kyoya had tried to cover in Cloud Flames had crumbled into a mess of metal and wooden parts.

' _I wonder why Taketa-san isn't more well-known then…,'_ Mitsuru mused as he ducked under a particularly violent and violet-color jab that would have connected with his temple and knocked him unconscious.

"Focus, Mitsuru," Fon's voice rang out, "it is unbecoming to not give your opponent your entire attention when fighting."

"My apologies, Uncle Fon, Kyoya," Mitsuru intoned, ducking under and weaving through a fast flurry of strikes from the youngest Hibari.

"Hn… take this seriously, Nii-san." Kyoya demanded, eyes glinting with eagerness and excitement.

Mitsuru resisted the urge to sigh and coo at his baby brother's adorable, enthusiastic-if-somewhat-bloodthirsty expression. A bloodthirsty expression that was currently aimed at himself.

Oh how he wished there were cell phones with cameras in this decade!

"Of course, Kyoya," Mitsuru responded with instead – he could always fuss over Kyoya's undeniable cuteness later on.

Mitsuru shifted his weight ever-so-slightly, falling into the familiar stance Shaolin Luohan 18 hands that had been hammered into his head by the instructors in the Triads and then later refined and enhanced by Uncle Fon.

In the span of a second, he had smoothly brought his right hand up and out, slightly in lower than his shoulder and kept his left hand close to his side in a loose fist, his left foot slid out in front of him while he began to support most of his weight on his slightly bent right leg.

Kyoya's grin widened at his brother's stance and he continued his charge forward; when he was only a foot away from Mitsuru, he struck – shooting his tonfa forward and aiming for his brother's face.

Quick as lightning, Mitsuru countered, his fist uncurling from his side and snaking out to catch the Flame-coated tonfa in mid-strike, while his raised hands darted forward, redirecting Kyoya's other tonfa strike with ease before slamming that same hand into his younger brother's stomach, sending Kyoya stumbling backwards, slightly doubled-over.

With that slight distraction, the rest of Mitsuru blurred into action, as he flew forward and began sending a flurry of open palm strikes and punches at Kyoya, forcing him on the defensive.

While Kyoya had quite an aptitude for brute strength and attacking relentlessly, Mitsuru favored his Uncle's fighting style – fast, quick movements that were difficult to block and almost always connected.

You couldn't hit or defend against something you couldn't see or touch.

Mitsuru continued his assault, using fluid movements that would redirect Kyoya's attacks and swift strikes that hit non-lethal areas of his younger brother's body but still caused enough pain that would soon hinder him.

Kyoya snarled – it was quite impressive for a seven year old – and the Flames coating his tonfa exploded outwards in a large wave, which caught Mitsuru off guard for a moment, which was more than enough time for Kyoya to resume his attack and put Mitsuru on the defensive.

As Kyoya went on the offensive, Mitsuru frowned sharply – he didn't like losing.

His own Cloud Flames ignited across his arms and hands and he launched himself forward, meeting every one of Kyoya's blows with a hit of his own.

Fon shook his head with a sigh as he watched his nephews begin a full-on brawl instead of the regimented spar that he had wanted them to have. "Still," he admitted with a fond chuckle, "they certainly are brothers with their stubbornness and aversion to losing."

It was actually quite easy to get the brothers riled up, one was just better at hiding it than the other.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

"Yo! Asahi!"

Kubota Asahi turned, frown and glare in place as he… well, frowned and glared at the person that had loudly shouted at him. "What? What is it?" he snapped.

"It's about the New Kid, Asahi… Why don't we go and teach him a little lesson, huh? No one turns you down!"

Asahi snorted and turned away with a wave of his hand. "What are ya talking about, Daisuke? You're making it sound like I got rejected by a girl or something."

"Well you might as well have, Asahi."

Asahi waved his hand again, this time in a more dismissive manner. "It's fine… Pretty Boy's gonna join us one way or another, I guarantee it."

* * *

 **Eh… mostly a filler chapter – before I get to the start of the actual KHR series, a good majority of these chapters will be world-building and character interactions and growth.**

 **As always, please let me know what you all thought via PM or Review!**

 **Updated: 1/3/19**


	7. Chapter 7

**I.**

"Dude… I know we broke, like… six different laws already… but… I _really_ think we gotta draw the line at kidnapping…"

"Don't think of this as a 'kidnapping', Ichi; think of this whole operation as… a… a business transaction!"

"But… Dude… these are _kids_ we're involving in this… ' _business transaction_ ' of ours…"

"Age is just a number, my friend! Besides, we aren't going to rough the brats up _too_ much! Just a few slaps here and a couple of kicks there, you know, just damage 'em enough to build their character!"

"Well… I ain't too sure about this whole thing, Dude… it just rubs me the wrong way, you know?"

"No, not really. We're criminals, Ichi. You know - bad guys? If you didn't want to get your hands dirty with stuff like this, then you shouldn't have joined us in the first place."

"Dude… you know that this was the only option I had left! I can't get no job with my history and background!"

"Then stop your whining and help me separate these brats! We got to keep 'em alone and scared to make everything go smoothly."

"… Okay…"

Mitsuru felt someone slide their hands and arm under his neck and legs and lifted him up.

It took every ounce of his willpower to not get up and attack the two men throughout the entirety of their conversation and to maintain his unconscious façade when he was being transported to who-knows-where.

… One of the men mentioned that there were other 'kids' wherever they had been taken to… Were they kids that Mitsuru knew? His classmates? School mates? Neighbors? Or just random children plucked off the streets?

… Was one of them _Kyoya_?

Immediately, Mitsuru discarded that thought, barely refraining from snorting out loud. Yeah… _not_ likely. If these Yakuza men – _magically_ – managed to kidnap Kyoya then the entire building would be nothing more than a pile of rubble by now and all the men involved in such an 'herbivorous act' would be in a large, bloodied and unconscious pile.

Which mostly likely meant that the other kidnapped children were all Mitsuru's age…

The last thing he could remember was being excited that his year was going on a quick field trip to the neighboring town Edoya to visit the Edoya museum as a part of their history lesson. The students and chaperoning teachers arrived at the museum around ten in the morning and the students were partitioned into small groups of four and given an assignment to complete before the trip was over. Mitsuru and his assigned group were just about to finish their assignment – theirs was a scavenger hunt for facts and dates of important events that took place during the Edo period – and then…

Then…

Then he woke up in this unknown location with an unknown number of kids with him and being watched over by an unknown amount of men – while he had _heard_ only two men speaking to each other, Mitsuru wasn't going to foolishly assume that they had been the only two men in that room and that there weren't more Yakuza lurking about the building.

Was it a stretch automatically linking the two men and this whole kidnapping to the Yakuza? Perhaps. But, when one spent a good majority of their childhood being indoctrinated into and trained by the Chinese Triads, one tended to become aware of the other Underworld organizations – especially those that operated out of a town a little more than two hours away from your home.

The man carrying him slowed to a stop, there was the sound of a door opening, the man walked through what Mitsuru assumed was a door and into the room before placing him on a soft surface and walking away.

Even when the door clicked shut and Mitsuru was surrounded by silence, he stayed limp and relaxed, just listening and waiting for a few more minutes.

When nothing further happened, he opened his eyes and sat up to survey the room he had been placed in.

It was large and looked to be a semi-dilapidated room of an old warehouse that would have been the main location in a low-budget horror or slasher movie – the kind of movie where the group of naïve and foolhardy teens, featuring a jock, the cheerleader or preppy, popular girl, the rebel, the nerd, the comedic joker, and the lone sensible student, would get the bright idea to explore the abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere without telling their parents or anyone else where they were going and subsequently either: release the demonic entity that was sealed away and get killed one-by-one, discover that the place was haunted by a vengeful spirit of a woman who was tragically killed there and get killed one-by-one, or find out that the old warehouse was the home of a serial killer thought to have died long ago and get killed one-by-one.

There was graffiti and other tags spray painted onto the walls, all the windows on the far end of the room were shattered, beer cans and other bottles of cheap alcohol were strewn about the floor, and there was a single chair situated right next to the door – presumably for someone to sit in while they 'kept watch' over whomever would be held prisoner here.

Had Misturu been a normal fourteen year-old, he most likely would have woken up dazed, confused, and scared.

Good thing he most certainly was not 'normal'.

He crouched low on the, surprisingly clean, mattress he had been put on and surveyed the room once more, this time with a more critical eye.

There had been training simulations like this in the Chinese Triads where you were randomly kidnapped – you were never told when the simulation would take place or even that you were _in_ a simulation since the whole point of the 'kidnapping' was to keep it as real and authentic as possible – and taken to an unknown location by an unknown group – although most of the 'unknown groups' in those simulations were always related to the bitter and long-time rivals of the Triads, the Mafia.

There were many ways to end the simulation; either you were 'killed' attempting to escape, you successfully escaped and made it back to one of the Triad's compounds, or you completely destroyed the people who dared kidnap you and _then_ escaped back to the Triads, hopefully with some important nugget of information in hand that would elevate your standing and reputation within the Triads.

It was obvious which 'ending' was the most favored among the Triads and Triad trainees.

Killing people without knowing the entire situation wasn't Mitsuru's style.

The Triads that had murdered his parents were different.

He _knew_ that they were there to kill him and his family, _knew_ that they had, somehow, successfully killed his mother, _knew_ that whoever had been wearing his mother's face was slowly killing his baby brother in that hallway last year, _knew_ that he wasn't going to let anyone who attacked **his** family walk out of there alive.

Mitsuru shook his head. He had to focus.

First thing he had to do was figure out where he was. Next he'd track down the other kidnapped kids and see how many of them were here with him and see how they were faring. Then he'd have to find a way to contact Uncle Fon, Skull and maybe the police – maybe.

If this truly was the Yakuza – or some group like it – then there wasn't a whole lot that the police could do. Sure, the police had the law and justice system on their side, but 'laws' didn't mean anything in the Underground World.

Mitsuru stood and quietly made his way towards the broken windows on the other side of the room. He wasn't going to try the door for two reasons: firstly, it was the obvious choice, people always headed towards the door thinking that it was their only way out, but, if you thought a little bit creatively, and had the means to do so, then anything could become an exit – even a cement wall or a broken window. Secondly, there would undoubtedly be guards and patrol groups watching the rooms and floors to make sure that no one would get any funny ideas of escaping or fighting back.

The windows however, were a perfect means of escape.

Mitsuru peered out and saw that he was currently on the sixth floor and that the part of the building he was looking out of was only feet from a thick forest.

Perfect.

After making sure that there would be no patrol crossing below him at an inopportune time, Mitsuru pulled himself through the window and onto the barely-wide-enough-for-his-foot window ledge that ran the perimeter of the structure.

It was fine though, the Triads and Uncle Fon had him practice maintaining his balance of things that were far smaller.

For a moment, he hesitated, thinking through his options once more before mentally slapping himself.

' _I don't have the time to over think things! I need to act now!'_

And with that thought, Mitsuru bent his knees slightly and jumped – Cloud Flames enhancing his muscles and giving his leap more strength and distance. He twisted his body, angled his legs just so and landed in a low crouch in the grass that had been far below him just seconds ago. Wasting no time, Mitsuru quickly jumped once more, his hand grabbing onto a nearby tree branch and swung his body onto the branch. He stilled, eyes darting around, waiting for any sign that someone – anyone – had seen his freefall or heard his landing…

Nothing.

Mitsuru resisted the urge to sigh at the obvious lack of vigilance and caution the group that had kidnapped him was currently displaying.

He had to remind himself that not everyone had the same alert, paranoid nature of the Triads and that whoever this group of kidnappers were, they were either newly formed or were so low in ranking and reputation that they didn't even matter, or register, to the larger, infinitely more dangerous organizations that lurked inside and outside of Japan.

He dropped from the tree branch, landing in another silent crouch, and darted around the perimeter of the building, keeping low to the ground and safely hidden amongst the thick bushes and overgrown grass of the forest. He peeked into every window he came across but had yet to find anything other than empty, partially destroyed rooms.

A faint sobbing grabbed his attention and had him focusing intently on a second-floor window. After mentally calculating the amount of Flames he'd need to make the high jump, and checking the ground-floor window and his surroundings to ensure that he wouldn't be seen, he jumped, fingers curling around the window ledge and pulled himself up before looking through the shattered window and into the room beyond.

Mitsuru blinked.

' _Didn't the two men from earlier say that they kept everyone separately? Then why…?'_

Why were there twenty or so terrified and crying students – from different schools and years, Mitsuru mentally noted, though he did recognize three of the students as his assigned group from the museum – all sequestered into this one room?

He debated on whether or not he should reach out and speak to one – or all – of the captive students in an attempt to gather information from them and offer some words of comfort and assurance or if his sudden appearance on the _second-floor window_ would be too much for their already fragile, stressed minds to handle which could result in screaming and crying and yelling which would draw attention to the students – and himself – which would make contacting his uncle and escaping far more difficult to accomplish.

The group of frightened students were a mixed bunch with about half of them being girls and the other half being boys. Mitsuru recognized a few of the different uniforms – Namimori, Midori-something Girls Academy aka that one private school that Miura Haru attended, there were a couple of Kokoyo uniforms. The ages of the captured students varied as well, though a majority of them were his age, being somewhere between thirteen and fifteen, there were a couple of high schoolers, or at least students old enough to be in high school, and a few who… _looked to be no older than Kyoya_.

Righteous fury filled his entire being at the mere thought of there being _children_ in such a horrendous situation – even though everyone in that room, himself included, was still considered a 'child' in the eyes of the law. Still, he didn't – _couldn't_ – allow his anger to cloud his judgment, not when there were still things that he needed to do.

'… _They will be fine. I just need to finish scouting the perimeter of the building and I'll be right back and ready to come up with a plan that will help all of us.'_

With his mind made up, Mitsuru was about to jump down from the ledge he had been perching on, when his eyes fell upon a figure, sitting down in the shadows and away from everyone else. He paused and peered intently at this unseen person.

It… was a child, a young girl, he realized, with purple hair and wearing a dirtied white dress and sandals though he couldn't make out her face because it was currently buried into her arms. He waited and continued to stare because _something_ about this tiny, slip-of-a-girl was familiar but he couldn't remember _why_ until she finally…

One of the other students let out a loud, sudden curse and slammed his fist against the wooden box he was sitting on.

There!

"… Oh _shit_ ," Mitsuru breathed slowly, his eyes widening when the girl jerked her head up at the abrupt noise, allowing him to see her face in its entirety.

Her eyes were wide, violet in color and glistening with unshed tears and terror.

Her. Eyes. As in plural.

As. In. _Two._

Dress her in the Kokuyo uniform. Put a skull-emblazoned eye patch on her right eye. Style her hair like a fruit…

There was no doubt in Mitsuru's mind - he was staring at a younger, child-version of Chrome Dokuro.

Fucking. _Great_.

Possibilities and plans and potential repercussions flew through Mitsuru's mind at this bombshell of a revelation. Though _'What was she doing here?!'_ was the most predominant question floating in his head.

Mitsuru glanced down, his mind working overtime.

 _Save her?_ He shook his head at that stupid question. Of course he was going to save her! He was going to save every single one of them!

 _Help her?_ Same reaction and answer as before. Next.

 _Befriend her?_

Mitsuru glanced back up at that thought.

Before she met Rokudo Mukuro and became Chrome Dokuro, she had been a normal girl named 'Nagi'. 'Nagi' was a shy, quiet kid who was the only child of some high profile parents who had gotten hit by a car, or truck, while trying to pet, or save, a stray cat. Her internal organs were badly damaged and she somehow met Mukuro via… Mist Flames? Some weird mindscape or dreamscape? They entered some sort of agreement and she began his vessel in exchange for a new life and illusionary organs that would help keep her alive.

Mitsuru looked down at his hands.

… Kyoya would have been like that. Quiet and hurting and _alone_ , at least until Tsuna entered his life but still, he wouldn't truly be considered part of Tsuna's motley group or consider himself apart of Tsuna's group until they were all well into their twenties at the earliest.

What he was about to do went against all of the training that the Triads had tried to instill in him all those years ago. He wasn't thinking objectively. He was letting his feelings and morals and personal motives get the better of him, influencing him into making a grave mistake that could cost him his only means of success and freedom.

Still…

Mitsuru clenched his hands and looked back up, eyes burning with determination.

'… _I don't want to live with regrets and what-ifs haunting me for the rest of my life. And if that means acting on my emotions and doing what_ I _think is right, then so be it.'_

He cleared his throat loudly; drawing everyone's shocked attention, and slipped through the window and into the room with smooth movements. Once in the room, Mitsuru stood and smiled – calm and serene just like how his uncle would have been in such a situation.

"My name is Hibari Mitsuru and I promise you that we will get out of here."

* * *

 **Chrome wasn't supposed to be in the chapter but she just kinda appeared. This kidnapping was also supposed to get resolved in one chapter but... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **As always, please let me know what you all thought via Review or PM!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I.**

Nagi was hungry.

She was cold.

She was tired.

But, above all, she was _scared_.

Scared of waking up that morning and having to explain to her parents that no, she wasn't able to get that coveted invitation to Hosokawa Sakura's sixth birthday party that her parents so desperately wanted her to get yesterday because Sakura-chan's parents were wealthy and influential – or so Nagi had been told. Scared of going to school and not being able to answer the teacher's questions because sometimes talking was _hard_ and sometimes her mind knew the answer but her mouth wouldn't work and her voice would die inside her throat because everyone had turned and was staring at her. Scared of going home to that cold, empty house and being the only living being to roam the too clean, too impersonal halls and rooms – almost like a ghost haunting their place of death. Scared of waking up in a dirty, old warehouse to a man, who had a large, crooked nose, starting down at her with a look in his eyes that made her stomach and nerves churn. Scared of being shoved into a large room with strangers who were also hungry and cold and tired and scared and not knowing where she was or why she was here.

Scared of not remembering _how_ she got here.

Nagi sniffled, her head buried in her arms, trying her hardest not to cry or make too much noise because her parents always told her that 'a daughter of theirs shouldn't cry' and would glare and hit her until she stopped.

She was scared, so, so _scared_.

A loud crash startled her enough to raise her head in fear and trepidation – she was praying that the sound wasn't one of the scary men arriving to take her, or the others, away to someplace scarier…

Her shoulders slumped with relief when she realized that the noise was just one of the other kids punching the crate he was sitting on and muttering loudly to himself and that there wasn't a scary man coming into the room to take them all away-

-but _then_ there was someone crawling through the broken window and smiling – so _brightly,_ how could he be smiling in a situation like this? – and promising them all that they would get out of here and Nagi could only stare at this dark-haired, pale-skinned teen who somehow managed to climb to a second-story window and smiled like he didn't have a worry in the world.

She was jealous. She was confused. She was hoping that his words were true.

One of the other students, a girl crouched on the floor closest to him, looked like she was about to let out a shrill scream but he suddenly _moved_ and was kneeling in front of her, covering her mouth with a hand. She looked like one of those _ganguro_ gals that her mother talked about with a scoff and disdainful look, with a dark tan, bright pink hair, and white makeup on her eyes and lips. She had multiple flower-shaped hair clips in her hair and both of her hands were covered in bracelets and rings.

"Please," the dark-haired teen, Mitsuru he had introduced himself as, said softly, only removing his hand when the girl gave a shaky nod, "don't scream. I don't want to draw any unwanted attention at the moment."

"H-How… How d-did get to the window?" A teen with brown hair and glasses asked in a high-pitched voice. "How did you even e-escape? _Why_ are you still here?!"

"I climbed to the window to get here. I climbed out of the window of the room I was put in. And I couldn't very well leave once I heard there were other people still kidnapped."

"You shouldn't have left your room, Mitsuru," another girl admonished. Nagi noted that she was wearing a school uniform that matched his. "Because you managed to escape, they rounded the rest of us up and stuck us in here."

"What?!" A teen with a Mohawk snarled. He was the one that had cursed and hit the crate. " _You're_ the reason why all of us are stuck here, shitting our pants?!"

"I didn't mean for you all to get put together," Mitsuru said, rising to his feet. "However, I wasn't about to just sit there and wait for something bad to happen to me." His smile widened. "Besides, now that you're all in one room, it saves me time from having to track each and every one of you down and remembering your location and by putting you all in one room, don't you all feel a bit more confident and brave? You're no longer alone, wondering where you are or what's going to happen to you. This is a chance to put together some kind of plan that saves us all."

"I… I don't think w-we should do a-anything…," a girl with long, dark hair said quietly. She was one of the few who weren't wearing a school uniform. "I-I think w-we should just keep quiet a-and do whatever th-they want… want us to…"

The teen with the Mohawk sneered. "So you just want us to, what? Sit here twiddling our thumbs likes morons and just take whatever those shit heads are planning?"

The girl nodded and he stood with a low curse. "Yeeah… _not_ going to happen. I'm not about to just sit here like a scared, coward like you when I could be doing what this guys says and try to think of a way out of this shithole." He walked towards Mitsuru and Nagi noted that he was a few inches taller than Mitsuru. "Listen you asshole, your little 'escape' might have gotten the rest of us thrown together, but… you're right. We shouldn't just wait around for whoever kidnapped us to make a move. We need to come up with a plan and do something. So… I'm with you, Asshole."

If Mitsuru was put off by the difference in height or by the swearing, he didn't let it show, instead, he extended his hand and said, "Nice to meet you though I wish it were under better circumstances."

The Mohawk teen huffed and, instead of taking Mitsuru's hand, knocked his fist into it. "What are you, some kind of diplomat-in-training, Asshole? Only adults shake hands. We guys gotta keep it original and fresh, yeah? Name's Takeyama Touma."

"Nice to meet you, Takeyama-kun."

"M-Me too!" The _ganguro_ gal stood with tears in her eyes but her mouth was set in a firm, fierce line. "I-I may not know a lot of stuff other than fashion and make-up but I don't wanna just become a… a _plaything_ for those criminals! I'm Ogawa Momoko – but call me Momo-chan!"

"… I still can't believe you _stayed_ …" The glasses-wearing student shook his eye with wide eyes. "I mean… you could've gone for help or something!"

"I couldn't take that chance," Mitsuru countered, smile growing stern. "What if I came back with help and you all were gone… or worse."

A tense silence fell upon the group, even Touma for all his earlier anger and crude words looked a bit uncertain and worried.

Nagi shivered, a chill running down her spine at Mitsuru's words, that slight action drawing his attention. He smiled at her and walked slowly in her direction until he knelt a few feet away.

"… Hello," he murmured, gray eyes and voice soft and soothing. A knot in her stomach easing at his kind expression. "My name is Hibari Mitsuru, what's yours?"

Nagi ducked her head, swallowing twice before quietly replying, "… Nagi…"

"It's very nice to meet you Nagi. I understand you must be scared and hungry, but I _promise_ you that we will all get out of this safe and sound, okay?"

She glanced up, peering at his earnest face through her bangs, and nodded. "… Okay…" His smile widened and Nagi felt herself relax slightly. She wanted to believe him, to trust and put her hopes on him… so she would. "… Okay," she repeated, a touch more confident and sure.

Mitsuru stood and turned to survey the rest of the group. A few more of them had stood and were standing next to Momo and Touma though the majority of them looked unsure and terrified of the whole situation.

"I understand that this must all be so confusing and terrifying for each and every one of you, but, trust me when I say that I know how these kinds of scenarios play out and that I have a plan to get us all out of here and back to our families by the end of the day."

The glasses-wearing teen's hand shot into the air and he waved it around agitatedly. "Wait, wait, wait… you… _'know'_? Meaning what exactly…? That you… 'know' how being kidnapped works?"

"In a sense, yes."

"You've been kidnapped before?!"

Mitsuru's smile became strained. "My… family can get slightly… paranoid," he explained.

"And, what? That equates to your family running… kidnapping exercises or something…?!"

Mitsuru shrugged. "It just means that if I were ever kidnapped, which I am right now, that I have some prior experience on what to do."

The brunet let out a long, slow breath. "That… as messed up and twisted as that is… makes a lot of convoluted sense…"

Mitsuru shrugged once more, an expression of 'What can you do?' splayed on his face. It disappeared after a moment though, as he grew serious. "Putting my families' paranoid tendencies aside… here's my plan…"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

"… Aoki."

"Yes, Yoshida-sama."

"Send word to that upstart, baby Sun that we've some of his wayward flock in our grasp."

"Yes, Yoshida-sama. Is there anything else you would like to include?"

"Hmmm… oh! Also let that brat know that if doesn't make it here in one-hour for a meeting, that some of his flock might have to be culled in order to make room for future stock."

"Understood, Yoshida-sama. Please excuse me."

A stream of smoke was exhaled as the _shoji_ door slid shut. Yoshida grinned, it was all teeth and wicked. "… Good luck trying to make the three-hour drive in only one, Brat. This is what happens when you turn Harmonization with _me_ , Yoshida Junpei, down!'

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

Momo was terrified, terrified but determined to play her part because she was so _not_ going to just sit around like some damsel-in-distress and hope that someone came to save her.

… True, that when Mitsuru swooped through the window and promised them safety and a chance of being rescued, she was hoping that he had all the answers to their problems and was there to save them.

But then that Touya-or whatever his name was went and said some pretty cool things which made her realize that she was being a complete idiot, that if she didn't speak up and state her intentions and desires _now_ , that she would still be that quiet, push-over, wallflower of a girl that never spoke up and would always remain in the background, completely willing to do whatever the adults – or worse, her _parents_ – told her to do and act.

She was _not_ going to revert back into that sorry excuse for a girl she had been just three months ago.

Oh no… this was going to be the launching pad of the _new_ Momo. The one who stood out, and wasn't afraid to stand out, from the crowd. The one that spoke her mind and didn't care what other people thought of her. The one that would live her life the way _she_ wanted.

The one that was going to – confidently strut – walk out the door and – skillfully seduce – get the man to turn his back to the hallway window where Mitsuru would be waiting to knock the gross, sleazy guy out.

She wasn't too sure what the next step would be, but, it was like, in all the movies! You take out the guard first and then… something.

Momo shook her head, partly to rid her mind of these unnecessary thoughts, and partly to give her hair that gentle wave that her favorite actress, Fukada Kyoko, had. She ran a perfectly manicured hand – it had taken her weeks to get her nail polish and filing skills perfected – through her pink hair – it wasn't the soft, charming pink of cherry blossoms or peaches, as her name implied, but it was bright, almost neon pink that grabbed people's attention and made her stand out – and briefly checked her makeup with the small, hand mirror she now always carried with her.

She was ready.

She could do this.

She had to…

She plastered on what she hoped was a charming, flirtatious smile, glanced over her shoulder to see Mitsuru give her a nod that both encouraged her and offered her a way out if she so desired, Touka-something grimacing and rolling his eyes at her smile, the terrified gazes of the other captured students, squared her shoulders, and walked out the door, her head held high as if she wasn't completely, utterly frightened of this whole situation.

"Oi! What'chu doin' out here, Girlie?" The man guarding the door was all skin and bulging muscles with a shaved head and tattoos for days. "Git back inside or else!"

Momo pouted and batted her eyes. "Like, c'mo~n, Mister! I'm, like, so. Freaking. _Bo~red~_ in there! There's only, like, crying kids in there with their snot and tears and it's so~ grossing me out! Isn't there, like, somewhere el~se I could hang? Somewhere less crowded?"

"The Boss said that you kids need ta stay in here and if you don't git back in there…!"

Momo let out a dramatic sigh and maintained her pout for a few moments longer, but, when the man simply crossed his arms and stared her down, she knew that she'd have to up her game. Quaking inwardly with feat and disgust, she moved closer to the tattooed-man and placed a hand on his bicep, smiling invitingly up at him. "Aren't you bored just watching a bunch of crying babies, Mister? I'm… _sure_ you… and I could be doing something that's _loads_ ~ more fun that just standing around here and talking… don't you think so, Mis~ter~?"

She could practically _feel_ the man's gaze as it swept up and down her body, from her long hair to her shirt and cleavage to her school skirt and long, tanned legs to her loose, knee-high socks and back up.

"… 'Aight…" the man growled after a moment more of leering at Momo, "Since you're eager, I know of a place that we can… have some _fun_ in, Girlie…"

"… Oh~ and where is that, Mis~ter?" She almost stuttered in fear when the man took a step forward, but managed to keep the fear out of her voice.

The man grinned, sharp and predatory before grabbing Momo by the shoulder and pinning her against the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of her. "Right. Here." He loomed over her with wide, manic eyes that made her heart beat wildly in fear.

Momo's eyes widened in terror, her lips parted in a way that was growing all too familiar over the last couple of hours, tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she realized just what was going to happen to her, she sucked in a long, single breath, about to scream her head off, drew back her leg as far as it could go – which wasn't that far seeing as how she was pressed with her back to the wall – ready, and oh so willing, to not make it, to not make _her_ , easy for this bastard when all of a sudden-

-Mitsuru was _right there_ , hand driving into the arm that the man was using to pin her against the wall, there was a loud crack, Momo saw a spray of red and a flash of white, the man's face went from lust and greed to shock and confusion to pain and realization in the span of a heartbeat, he opened his mouth, the beginning of a pained shout beginning to build-

-Mitsuru _slammed_ an open palm against the man's skull-

-Momo watched as the man's eyes grew glassy and vacant-

-the man toppled to the ground, very much like a puppet with its strings cut-

-Momo blinked and-

-Mitsuru was in front of her, staring at her with concern and regret shining in his violet-colored, weren't his eyes a beautiful silver before?, eyes and his lips were moving but no sound was coming out-

-or maybe she couldn't hear him over the beating of her heart and the blood rushing in her ears-

-despite her frantically beating heart, she felt… strangely calm and level-headed about… everything-

-Mitsuru's gaze sharpened and he placed two, blissful warm, when had she gotten so cold?, hands on either of her cheeks and he was still saying _something_ but she couldn't _hear_ what he was saying-

-was it her imagination or was Mitsuru's lips moving really, really slowly? Like, super slowly? Momo scowled in irritation. She might not have been the smartest student, but she _so_ did not deserve to be spoken to like a child!

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IV.**

For the first time in a long, while, Mitsuru was… worried.

His plan was simple.

They would take down the lone man standing guard outside the door. They would tie him up, take his cell phone, and leave him somewhere where he couldn't be found easily. They would slowly make their way to the first floor, with Mitsuru scouting ahead and redirecting them as needed, and out the building before taking refuge in the thick forest that surrounded the warehouse. When asked why they shouldn't just make a break to the road leading out of the warehouse, he had said that going to the road, which basically meant civilization and help, was the obvious choice and that their kidnappers probably had cars or other vehicles that would quickly catch up to them sooner than later. Being recaptured would only bring them back to square one.

However, if they used the forest instead, even though it would take far more time and wouldn't be easy, it would be far easier to lose their kidnappers in the wild brush should their kidnappers choose to pursue them.

Once they were far enough in the forest, they could call for help via the man's stolen cell phone.

It was fool-proof.

True, he had come up with several contingency plans and ran dozens of what-if scenarios in his head – What if there were more guards that they realized? What if the man outside didn't have a cell phone? What if someone was injured? What if the guards had weapons? – Mitsuru came up with ways to overcome any and all obstacles that could have proven a hindrance to their escape.

Ogawa Momoko activating her Flames – Rain Flames to be more precise – and unconsciously filling the hallway with them, was something he certainly had not taken into consideration.

"Momo-chan… everything's okay now… you're safe," he tried calming her down with gentle words.

"Momo-chan, I need you focus on me and listen to what I'm saying, I can't help you if you don't listen," he tried bargaining.

"Momo-chan, you need to stop," he tried being commanding.

Nothing worked.

Well, if words weren't working then…

Mitsuru let out a tense breath and released his Cloud Flames, placing his hands on her too-cold cheeks.

Her eyes were a bright, blue, her breathing growing shallow, and, when he placed his fingers on her pulse, he discovered that it was slowing. It was all quite distressing.

The main attribute of Rain Flames were tranquility. Tranquility meant that they could calm themselves, and others, down with relative ease.

And make things so relaxed and slow that they simply ceased to work – like arms or livers or hearts or lungs.

There was a reason why particularly skilled and powerful Rains made excellent assassins and hitmen – or hitwomen.

Had Mitsuru not have had the powerful Flames he did nor the skill to manipulate and wield them like he could, he most likely would have fallen victim to Momo's newly activated Flames. His own heart and breathing would slow until they just stopped, along with hers and most likely everyone else's in the room behind them.

He couldn't – _wouldn't_ – let that happen.

His Flames surged out of him at the mere thought of him not fulfilling the promise he made to them not twenty minutes ago and they quickly overtook Momo's Flames. Carefully, Mitsuru corralled her frenzied Flames, coaxing and other times just shoving them in the direction he wanted them to go, until there was a tight bubble of raging Rain Flames surrounding the two of them, held in place by a layer of thick Cloud Flames.

"Momo-chan… Momoko," he tried once again, "you have to calm down and listen to me."

There was a flash of anger and a slight reduction of Rain Flames, but, at the rate her Flames were still pouring out of her it wasn't enough – wouldn't be enough to keep her alive, and the others alive…

Mitsuru took a moment to steel himself – fighting and going after criminals and the like was one thing, but, attacking a civilian? An innocent? That was on an entire different level. – before letting out even more of his Flames, enough to completely smother and erase almost all presence of Momo's own Flames with his. Once he could no longer feel her Flames, his left hand blurred into motion, pressing three pressure points, one the back and base of her skull and one on her neck, in quick succession and catching her now-unconscious body with ease.

' _I'll have to apologize and explain things to her at a later date.'_ He thought, making a mental note to do so once they were safe and rested.

Active Flame users, especially newly active _civilian_ Flame users, would draw unwanted attention likes flies to honey.

Momo wouldn't stand a chance against the more persuasive – or trigger happy or forceful – Flame users.

Mitsuru shifted her body until he was supporting her head and legs with his arms, carrying her in a Princess carry. He glanced down the hallway and, after seeing no one, let out a deep sigh as his mind tried to fit this new, unseen variable into his plan.

Well… first things, first, he had to let Momo rest and recover and move that disgusting man's body to a place with less foot traffic – unlike Momo who was simply unconscious, that sick man truly was well and dead which was what the pervert deserved. Mitsuru paused for a heartbeat before brushing off the tiny voice in his head that was screaming at him that he was becoming way too desensitized to death and causing death and that it wasn't a normal mindset to have!

He shouldered the door open, quieting the groups' shouts and yells of worry with a sharp glance, and asked if there was anyone who didn't mind lending their jacket or sweaters so that Momo would have a semi-comfortable area to lie on.

"What the fuck happened, Asshole?" Touma asked, once Momo had been lowered onto the gathered clothing.

For a long while, Mitsuru didn't answer, merely looked at everyone in the room with an intense scrutiny. He let out a harsh sigh and swore under his breath. " _Cào_ …"

"The fuck did you just say, Asshole?"

Mitsuru waved a hand, not fully trusting himself to speak just yet.

He had wondered, when he was first peering into the room from the other side of the window, just why _these_ students were the ones who were kidnapped. They were all from different schools, different ages, families, all had different personalities; so why were they all here? Kidnappers tended to take the same type of person whenever they abducted someone so what was the common factor amongst all of them? What was linking them all together?

Mitsuru sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

There were all Flame Active or close, so close he could practically taste their Flames, to being Flame Active.

He cursed once more before looking up and addressing the group as a whole, his face deadly serious, his smile no longer in sight. "The plan is changing."

* * *

 **What is this? An update? So soon?**

 **Amazing.**

 **What a way to start off 2019.**

 **Really wished this kind of inspiration hit me for my other stories…**

 **This chapter was also going to end after Part II but then inspiration struck me again and all the kidnapped kids turned into Flame Active or close to being Flame Active users. You all can thank Momo's character for that. She just turned into this character that** _ **needed**_ **to get written, you know?**

 **Again, this whole kidnapping thing was supposed to get resolved in this chapter but… we'll see where my muse takes this.**

 **Any guesses as to who the 'upstart, baby Sun' is?**

 **As always let me know what you all thought via PM or Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I.**

Hibari Kyoya knew he was strong.

He had already proved to his classmates and teachers that _he_ was the one in charge and was well on his way to enact his plan of overthrowing the weak, law-breaking delinquents that claimed to be the ones in charge of Namimori.

Ridiculous.

As if a rag-tag group of teenagers could ever hope to maintain and protect the sanctity that was Namimori – the place where half of his ancestors hailed from, where his parents were put to rest and buried, where they were all given a second chance at life, where his brother learned how to smile again.

As he was double-checking the state of his tonfa – a well-received gift from Mitsuru, how did his brother seemed to know that such an obscure weapon would be perfect for him?, Kyoya swore to return the favor one day – about to leave Grandfather's estate to start disciplining the herbivorous delinquents, the kitchen phone began to ring.

Frowning at the thought of having to put his plans on hold for the moment, Kyoya stalked towards the kitchen phone and answered it with a curt, "What?"

" _Kyoya."_

"Nii-san," Kyoya dipped his head in respect for his older brother, a reflex that he was trying to curb since there wasn't a point to bow his head when his brother couldn't even see him.

Kyoya knew that strength equated to respect and that respect was a mix of admiration and fear – just look at how the Triads both revered and feared their uncle. He also knew that he was strong. He also knew that there were only three people in the entire world that he truly respected and would bow his head to: Mitsuru, Fon, and Grandfather – in that order.

" _Is Uncle Fon at home?"_

"No, Nii-san," Kyoya answered. "He went to the store." Through the phone, Kyoya could hear his brother make a sound of acknowledgement and the faint murmurs and shuffling of other people. It was only then that Kyoya realized just what was… off about this whole situation.

Neither he nor Mitsuru had cell phones and the school would not allow a student to phone home without first having a administrator or teacher talk first, requesting to speak to a parent or guardian. "… Nii-san…," Kyoya began, slowly sounding out his words as an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. "Where are you?"

"… _Kyoya."_

In all the nine years that he had been alive, Kyoya had only heard his brother's normally lackadaisical voice turn serious twice: the moment right after they had buried their parents the first time, and now. Kyoya straightened abruptly, all previous thoughts of going after the supposed-delinquents that ran Namimori vanishing, his hands itching to grab hold of his tonfa to hit something, _anything_ , as that feeling began to grow and twist in the depths of his gut. "Yes."

" _I need you deliver a message to Uncle Fon for me and, under_ no _circumstances, are you allowed to join him or follow him. Do you understand?"_

"… There's going to be a fight, isn't there?" Kyoya was _not_ disappointed that he wasn't allowed to join their uncle and he was most certainly _not_ pouting.

" _Kyoya."_ Mitsuru's voice held an undertone of warning.

"… I promise, Nii-san," Kyoya swore.

He was not pouting!

"… _Thank you, Kyoya and I'm sorry you can't tag along with Uncle Fon, if this were under different circumstances, I wouldn't mind because I know you can take care of yourself, but… in this case, I can't allow you to come here. There are too many variables and unknowns at the moment. And I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger if I can prevent it."_

That uncomfortable feeling grew stronger with every word his brother spoke Kyoya did his best to keep his voice from wavering with uncertainty and dread. "… Will you be okay?" He asked after a beat of silence.

 _Will you come back?_

Kyoya could practically hear the smile in his brother's reply. _"I promise, Kyoya."_

The knot in his stomach unwound slightly at the confidence in his older brother's voice. It would be okay, Mitsuru was stronger than him. He would be okay. "… Okay. What's the message, Nii-san?"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **II.**

"So," Touma began once Mitsuru had finished his phone call, "you gonna tell us what the fuck's going on, Asshole? And why the fuck is Pinky unconscious? That wasn't part of your plan!"

Mitsuru sighed and allowed the hand holding the brick-of-a-cell-phone to fall to his side.

Ah… how he wished that the cell phones of his age were slim and compact like the ones he was familiar with. He'd even take the old flip phones from the 1990's!

He turned and looked at the group. "… I know why you all were kidnapped," he declared in lieu of answering Touma's question and subsequently stunning everyone into silence.

Like earlier, it was Touma that broke the hushed atmosphere. "W-What the hell?!" He demanded, almost lunging forward in anticipation. "Hurry up and tell us, Asshole!"

Unlike earlier, the teen with the glasses raised his hand and surged to his feet with a cry of, "Hold on! Do we really have the time to go over the how's and why's we were all kidnapped?! Shouldn't we just be focusing on trying to get out of here as quickly as possible? Before something worse happens to all of us?"

"Unlike you, Nerd, I want to know just why the fuck we were all taken," Touma sneered, gesturing out with one arm. "Don't you guys watch TV or movies?! There's always a common connection between kidnapped victims. If we know why _we_ were the ones taken, then that'll only help us get out of this place that much quicker."

"Takeyama-kun is right…?" Mitsuru leveled a look at the bespectacled teen that screamed, _sorry-but-I-didn't-quite-catch-your-name?_

The brunet blinked before bowing sharply. "Ah, my apologies, my name is Yukimura Hiraku."

Mitsuru nodded. "Takeyama-kun is right, Yukimura-kun, by understanding why we were all kidnapped, it will give us a better understanding of our situation along with us knowing more about our kidnappers. And," Mitsuru glanced at the unconscious form of Momo, "it'll also help me explain what happened to Momo and what might happen from here on out."

"I-It sounds like y-you know a-a lot about everything's that's happened t-to us," the girl with long, dark hair spoke up suddenly, drawing everyone's attention which caused her to shrink in on herself. After a moment of silence, she continued with, "H-How… h-how do we know that y-you aren't with the men who ki-kidnapped us…? H-How do we know that you… d-didn't just knock her unconscious b-because she s-saw something that she shouldn't have…?"

The atmosphere in the room towards Mitsuru changed swiftly, going from scared, but determined to help and listen to him to wary and mistrustful as most of the group began to stare at the dark-haired teen with suspicion in their eyes.

Mitsuru blinked; not at all bothered by the sudden guarded stares he was receiving. "That's easy," he said with a blithe shrug, "you don't." He shifted slightly and continued with, "You _don't_ know if I'm part of the people that kidnapped us… for all any of you know, I could be a spy sent to keep an eye on everyone-"

"But wait," Hiraku interrupted, motioning to the other three students that were dressed in the Namimori Middle School uniform. "Even if you _were_ some sort of spy ordered to watch over us, why bring in your own classmates into all of this? That doesn't make any sense! It would be better if you were just a random student or person taken off the street like the rest of us!"

Mitsuru shrugged again, lips twitching into a faint smile. "Maybe it was all to throw you guys off and to not cast suspicion on me."

"O-Or maybe i-it's all… s-some kind of el-elaborate r-ruse a-and he really is w-working w-with the people wh-who took us…" the girl with the long hair murmured.

"Or _maybe,_ " Touma began mockingly, glaring at the group, "all of you are too fucking paranoid and should remember that Asshole's the only one of us that fucking doing something to get us out of this shitty situation. I'll take my chances with him any day over sitting here like sheep waiting to be slaughtered."

"Well," Mitsuru said, drawing everyone's attention, "I'm honestly surprised that someone brought up the fact that you don't know if you can trust me. Most civilians, when presented with a chance to escape, would jump on that opportunity, completely blind to everything around them."

"Wait… ' _civilians'_? What do you mean by that, Asshole?" Touma demanded.

Something akin to approval flashed in Mitsuru's silver eyes at the question. "… Tell me," He began with a slow tilt of his head and lidded eyes, "what do you all know about the Yakuza?"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **III.**

Mitsuru darted down the hallway on silent feet, senses enhanced with Cloud Flames as he explored and searched – creating a mental map of the building they were trapped in through the hallways and rooms he had been to.

His plan was simple: Take out anyone and everything within the premises then, without the looming threat of encountering one of the Yakuza men constantly hanging above their heads, the group could escape without any issue.

Foolproof.

The corridors and rooms that lay beyond the section of the building the group was being held in was in the same state as it and the room that Mitsuru had initial 'awoke' in: dilapidated and trashed with piping and beams exposed and words and symbols spray-painted onto large sections of plaster that hadn't collapsed due to exposure and time.

Mitsuru inwardly cringed at the mess and rot. The Triads had devoted copious amounts of time to clean and maintain their dojos and sprawling compounds. How could anyone hope to get any work done in such an environment like this was beyond him.

From the intersecting T-hallway up ahead, came the faint murmurs of two voices.

Mitsuru's eyes fell on the thick HVAC piping that ran the length of the corridor he was in and, with a burst of Cloud Flames, nimbly leapt up and onto the pipes just as a pair of men turned the corner, deep in a conversation.

"I'm telling you, Ichi. Pretty soon things are going to get _a lot_ more fun around here! And who knows! You might end up enjoying yourself!"

"I-I don't know how I feel about this, Dude…"

"Hah… You've got to man up if you want to fit in around here, Ichi. The Boss doesn't take kindly to cowards and the like."

"I-I know, Dude…"

Mitsuru blinked, the men's voices giving him pause.

' _If I'm not mistaken… these are the two men I awoke to…'_

"I know you're only what, twenty-two, Ichi?"

"Nineteen."

"Right, right, only nineteen but seeing as how the Boss made you participate in such an event like this, I can already tell you're going to make a name for yourself in the Family!"

"I… I don't know, Dude… I'm not… exactly comfortable with… _kidnapping_ kids… you know?"

"We went over this once already, Ichi… Don't sweat the small details like age and appearances! If the Boss tells us to grab a couple of brats off the street, all we got to do is nod our heads and do it, alright?"

"Still… I don't know, Dude…"

"… Don't tell me… you… _don't_ want to repay the Boss for all his kindness and generosity towards you and your family?"

"O-Of course I do, Dude! You know I can't ever thank the Boss enough for taking in someone like me!"

"Great! That settles everything then! Just do what the Boss, and I, tell you to do and, in exchange, we'll make sure that those brats you call siblings are well taken care of, okay?"

"… Okay…"

"Okay! Just keep patrolling your route for now, okay, Ichi? I just wanted to drop by to see how you were settling in. I should be getting back to my route now."

"… Thanks, Dude."

"Don't mention, it! I gotta make sure you do a good job seeing as how I was the one that brought you into the Family. My success depends on your success!"

"Right…"

"Remember, Ichi. You owe me and the Boss for taking you in!"

"… Y-Yeah…"

Mitsuru narrowed his eyes and waited until the other man left the hallway before dropping down in front of the remaining man. "You…," he said, eyes searching the man's shocked and guilty expression, "you were one of the men who separate me… Ichi, was it?"

"Ichigo, actually, but everyone calls me Ichi." The man, Ichigo, replied automatically, as if he had to explain this often to people.

He was tall and well-built, his shirt was stretched taut over a wide set of shoulders and a barrel-like chest with dark-hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He looked older, much older, than his supposed age of nineteen – appearing to be in his mid to late twenties with a square jaw, large nose, and faint stubble.

"You don't look nineteen," Mitsuru said dubiously.

Ichigo sighed. "I know, Dude… I get that a lot… but I swear I'm only nineteen! I can even show you my ID if you want, Dude!"

"Ah, no, no… I believe, you Ichigo-san…" Mitsuru stood from his crouch and smiled thinly. "If the conversation between you and your… colleague is to be believed, you don't agree with kidnapping children, right?"

Ichigo flinched and nodded, eyes downcast. "Yeah… this whole thing just… rubs me the wrong way, you know, Dude?"

Mitsuru's smile turned sharp, deadly, promising pain and retribution if he didn't receive a satisfactory explanation. "And yet, you still went along with it anyway."

"I… I don't got no choice, Dude! The Boss' the only guy that'll hire someone like me and I got younger siblings to take care of, Dude! Even though I don't agree with something as messed up as kidnapping and… _killing_ children… I… I gotta think of my family, Dude! This job pays well and the Boss promised that he'd pay for my sibling's schooling and-"

"Wait," Mitsuru commanded, eyes flashing violet for a split-second, "what did you mean by 'killing'?"

Ichigo groaned and placed his head in his hands. "It's so messed up, Dude… Yoshida's gonna start killing all of you soon…"

Mitsuru felt a wave of calm settle over him despite the grim revelation. "…What? Why?"

"I-I dunno, Dude… I'm the new guy around here so they don't tell me a lot of stuff… oh man… what would Momma say if she saw me now… part of a gang that kills _kids_ … Dude…"

Mitsuru took Ichigo's mental breakdown to inspect his face and overall demeanor. He had a hunch but…

"… Were you the one of brought everyone together? Put them all in one room?" He hedged, watching the burly man with an assessing gaze.

Ichigo nodded, head still in his hands. "Y-Yeah… th-there was this little girl – couldn't be no older than eight – and she was just so… _scared_ and… and I got a kid sister 'bout her age and I just thought that if my lil' sis was here or somewhere like here a-and… I just wanted to make things easier for her and for you all, you know, Dude? I know my siblings would be super scared if something like this happened to them…" He paused and chuckled hollowly. "Well… maybe not Tetsuya… that kid brother of mine is really mature for his age… nothing like me…"

' _Tetsuya? As in…?'_

"… Hey, Ichigo-san, what's your last name?"

Ichigo glanced up, eyes rimmed with tears. "H-Huh? It's Kusakabe. Why'd you wanna know, Dude?"

Mitsuru refrained from sighing in exasperation.

 _Great_.

"Listen, Ichigo-san… do you _really_ want to be a part of this group? To be a _murderer_?"

Ichigo shook his head vehemently. "No! Of course not! I-I only joined up with Yoshida 'cause he was the only guy who'd hired someone like me! I… I wanna set a good example for my siblings! A-And I know that this job isn't it…"

"Then get out of here while you can, Ichigo-san. Get out of here and go back to your family before it's too late."

Ichigo's second head shake surprised Mitsuru. "… No, Dude… as much as I wanna just… leave this all behind me and go back to my kid siblings… I-I can't… not… not with you kids still here…"

Mitsuru blinked at Ichigo's determination and smiled, features softening. "… You're a good person, Ichigo-san."

The older teen shook his head. "No, Dude… I'm not. I'm just… some guy just trying to support his family."

"I can understand doing anything to help your family," Mitsuru murmured, thinking about how he would do anything and everything to protect Kyoya, Fon, Grandfather and Skull. "But, you feel guilty about the crime you committed and that's what makes you a good person, Ichigo-san… you have regrets."

"I-I guess…"

"…You want to make sure that we're all safe, right?"

Ichigo jerked his head up. "Of course!"

"Would you help us escape, then?" Mitsuru asked; his narrowed, silver eyes boring into Ichigo's wide, brown eyes.

"I-I…" The brunet hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

Mitsuru reached under his shirt and took out the brick-of-a-cell phone he had swiped from the pervert-of-a-man and pressed it into Ichigo's hands. "Take this," he said. "Go back the way I came from and assume the role of the guard that was supposed to be watching us. Let everyone know that I sent you."

"… What if they don't believe me, Dude?"

"Tell them that I got into the room by climbing through the window."

Ichigo stared at Mitsuru blankly for a moment. "… Huh?"

Mitsuru waved a dismissive hand. "It's a long story… but for now do what I told you to do."

"A-Alright, Dude… but what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just focus on keep the others safe and calm."

"Okay, Dude." Ichigo gripped the phone and began making his way down the hall with determined steps.

"Oh and one more thing, Ichigo-san," Mitsuru called out, "if you could take care of the dead body of your… colleague, I'd greatly appreciate it!"

Ichigo almost gave himself whiplash from how fast he whipped his head around. "W-WHAT?!"

But Mitsuru had already vanished.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **IV.**

"… You've got to be fucking kidding me…," Takeyama Touma grumbled under his breath, leg twitching irritably as he sat on an upturned crate he had claimed as his seat when he initially awoke in his goddamned nightmare.

Kidnappings. Yakuza. Mafia. _Colored fire that could accomplish magical things?!_

What. The. Fuck?!

It was like he was trapped in a bad anime or something!

He breathed out, long and slow, trying to calm his rising ire.

He couldn't afford to let his anger take hold of him now, not when there wasn't a definite leader in the room – Pinky was still out cold, Sad Suzuki still looked depressed as shit, Nerd didn't look like he'd be much help in a fight other than a momentary distraction, and the others were either still in a state of shock and fear or didn't look like they were going to man up and take charge anytime soon with the Asshole gone doing who-knows-what.

Touma stilled and sighed deeply, running a hand through his Mohawk.

Thinking like that wasn't fair to that guy… especially since he was out there putting his life at risk trying to save all of them.

Touma stood and stalked towards the single door that could lead them to freedom or death.

"All right, listen up, you good for nothing nobodies! I don't know about you all, but there's no way in hell that I'm just gonna sit around here and wait to be saved like some damsel-in-distress or for whoever the fuck kidnapped us to decide that we're not worth the trouble of our Fire-or whatever and kills is all one-by-one."

A couple of the younger kids, they couldn't be any older than six or seven, who had stopped crying began wailing and screeching once more, and Touma grimaced.

He should have chosen to speak with a bit more tact…

"Regardless," he continued on, "I say that we get up off our lazy asses and _do_ something about this shitty situation we're in!"

Nerd's hand shot up in the air. "And what do you propose we do about our 'shitty situation'? Doesn't look like you have much experience with what's going on."

"Neither do you, Nerd!" Touma shot back. "And why the fuck are you raising your hand everything you want to say something?! Speak your mind! We aren't in a goddamn classroom in case you haven't noticed!"

"I-I think w-we should just st-stay here…" Sad Suzuki said.

"Fuck that, Sad Suzuki!"

"Th-That's not my n-name! I-It's Mito Yumiko!"

"Whatever, Sad Suzuki." Touma sneered with a roll of his eyes, ignoring the fact that he now knew her real name. "We need to get the fuck out of here. That being said, I'm not stupid or reckless enough to just go charging out of this room, expecting to find my way out of here without any trouble. We need a plan because I'm not gonna to just sit here and hope that the Asshole gets us all out of here. We need to take charge of our own destiny and well-being if we want to live." He cast his gaze around the room. "Who's with me?"

* * *

 **It was surprisingly difficult to write this chapter.**

 **Maybe it's because I've been diving back into Kingdom Hearts and just got a PS Vita.**

 **As always, please let me know what you all thought via PM or Review.**


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